Til Death Do Us Part
by JustBee02
Summary: Well, look who we have here. If this isn't my wifey.. Did you come to get your piece of the cake now?" Who said it would be easy to get a divorce from a jerky popstar who you have left behind 5 years ago? Mitchie Torres definitely didn't think so..
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hello Everybody! :)

Since I'm more than addicted to Shane&Mitchie I've finally decided to jump on the fanfiction  
train concerning this couple and "Camp Rock" in General.  
Usually I'm writing Spuffy fics and fics for a German fandom (the German version of "Ugly Betty").  
Concerning this story, I would be happy if someone is willing to become my beta reader because  
I like to share my ideas with someone.  
Of course a second opinion is also a good thing before posting ;)

Story Stuff: Exspect a bumpy ride with a very jerky Shane, a not so pleasant past and Smitchie/Naitlyn  
arguments all the way :)

Hope you'll like it guys! Your opinion is more than appreciated! :)

Disclaimer: Well, nothing's mine except my imagination. All characters belong to Disney (don't we know it ;))

** Til Death Do Us Part  
**

"Geez, Mitchie. I think I almost broke every traffic law in this country just to get here ASAP," Caitlyn tried to catch her breath, while her best friend simply yanked the young woman into the house and shut the door with such a force, that a picture on the wall came crashing down with a loud thud.

"Whoa girl, you really are out of line."

Her eyes lingered on the broken glass for a moment before she finally took into the appearance of the other girl.

In all the years of their friendship Caitlyn Gellar had never seen Mitchie Torres with such a shocked expression on her delicate face.

"Mitch, what is going on?"

Ever since Mitchie's call and her words "Oh my god.. he.. can't breathe" and "What should I do now"  
Caitlyn hasn't heard her friend speak up again and this, truthfully, scared her more than she could express at the moment.

"It's not your family, isn't it?"

Caitlyn's heart was gripped by fear and she silently prayed that nothing bad had happened to a member of the  
Torres clan.

Mitchie however wasn't able to come up with anything beside a short shake of her head which signalled her friend that the topic would not lie in that department.

Her mind however seemed to be occupied by things Caitlyn couldn't even figure out in the slightest.

And on top of it, she couldn't stop shaking.

"Maybe you should sit down first and then you're gonna tell what happened, k?"

Caitlyn was smiling at her in a soothing way and Mitchie didn't protest when her friend pushed her softly onto the huge leather couch in the living room, while all the 22-years old woman could do was nodding in a numb way.

It seemed like Michelle Torres was just a shell of herself at the moment and Caitlyn didn't dare to push her too much even though _she_ was the clueless one here.

Hanging in between a phone call that hadn't made sense at all and a still speechless best friend, who scared her more and more with every passing minute.

"You know I'm usually a very patient person," she finally tried again, hoping to get her friend's attention at last.  
"But this here really creeps me out. So _please_ tell me what happened."

Her green eyes seemed to bore into Mitchie's brown ones and the still silent woman finally broke out of her blank stare and started to focus on the person in front of her.

Worry, confusion – all these emotions were reflected right back at her and she knew in an instant that Caitlyn was literally going crazy on the inside.

Crazy because she still didn't know what this was all about.

Mitchie wanted to tell her, she really wanted to get this unbearable thing of her chest but all she managed to come up with was a meek sound that Caitlyn could barely register.

Defeated, she immediately let out a deep sigh and buried her head in her hands.

But before Caitlyn could touch her left shoulder, the brown eyed woman let out a short frustrated scream, that startled her best friend so much that she stumbled a few feet backwards.

"Gosh Mitch. You almost gave me a heart attack," the blond one exclaimed in a strong voice, glaring at her best friend for a moment.

_This was crazy._

_Correction – This was beyond crazy._

"Sorry Cait," Mitchie's voice finally cut through the silence.  
"But this is all..so…so"

She slowly pushed her long tresses out of her face and searched Caitlyns eyes, showing her emotions that could without a doubt be classified as worry, confusion and guilt.

"Well, at least you've found your voice again, because this silent treatment is so _not _my style."

A small encouraging smile appeared on her shiny lips which caused Mitchie's depressed expression to soften for a bit before Caitlyn took a seat next to her.

"And now fill me in. But in whole sentences please, so my brainie won't come up with different types of scenarios."

One of her arms made its way around Mitchie's small shoulders in a comforting manner and let her friend instantly relax into the touch.

"I.. I don't know where to start," Mitchie admitted in a depressed tone, biting the inside of her lips.

A habit that always came forward when problems were bugging her.

"Well, how about the beginning? All I know is that you should be at that little fancy restaurant making moon eyes at your honey bunny, while violins are playing in the background. But since you're here, looking like someone gave you a run for your money, I can only guess that your evening wasn't that romantic at all."

"No, it was," Mitchie sighed immediately, confusing Caitlyn even more.

"It was?"

Mitchie simply nodded.

"Very romantic, actually."

"So let me get this straight.  
No one died or got hurt in a physical way and you had a romantic evening with Mister Perfect."

"Yes," she sighed again, breaking the eye contact for a moment.

"Then _why _the hell are you sitting here like a shadow of yourself, freaking me out with a phone call that almost got people hurt on my way over there?"

Her confusion, mixed with concern and the feeling of not having the slightest clue about her friend's problem, let her voice come out way louder than intended, regretting it in an instant.

"I'm sorry, I didn't.."

"No, I'm sorry Cait," Mitchie interrupted her in a soft tone, searching her eyes again.  
"I'm the one with the _mayor_ problem here."

"Well, a problem isn't so big anymore when you share it with someone.  
And you can call yourself lucky because I happen to know someone who is willing to fill in for that part,"  
Caitlyn nudged her side with a typical Caitlyn Gellar smile that could always lighten the mood for a moment, even if a dark cloud was literally looming over your head.

"Cait..," The auburn heard woman smiled sadly.  
"I'm a horrible person. I don't deserve any sort of kindness."

"What? Have you completely lost your mind?," Caitlyn protested before Mitchie could continue.  
"You're the most loving, kindred, talented and honest person that has ever crossed my way.  
You deserve a bunch of kindness and love."

She gave her the _"Don't you dare to disagree with Caitlyn Gellar_"- look that no one has ever dared to ignore, hoping that it would get her friend away from this stupid train of thoughts.

__

Michelle Torres a horrible person – Not possible.

_Period.  
_

But Mitchie didn't share this opinion in the slightest and had a hard time to hold her tears back at Caitlys words.

_  
God, her life could never go the easy way, couldn't it?  
_

"I'm not a honest person, Cait," she instantly spoke up again, forcing herself to look straight into her best friend's eyes.

"What? You don't want to come up with this sweater story again, don't you?  
That was hardly a crime Mitch and I would never hold it against you, you know that."

"I wish it would be something meaningless," Mitchie whispered.  
"But it's not."

Caitlyn could see that her friend had a hard time to come up with the right words, tears already glistening in her brown eyes.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me. I promise not to judge you," the blond woman reassured her, gripping Mitchies left hand in a friendly way, only to feel something sharp digging into the palm of her own hand.

"Ouch.. what is..," she instantly removed her hand, only to fell silent when she got a closer look at what exactly had been digging into her palm a moment earlier.

"Is _this_ what I think it is," she finally questioned, when her brain had caught up with her voice.

Before Mitchie could register what Caitlyn was talking about the young woman already had a grip on said hand again and lifted it just enough for the small ring to shine in the dim lights of the living room.

"Oh my god, Mitch. He finally asked you? Is this why you're so out of line?"

Caitlyn was almost bouncing in her seat like a child on Christmas Eve while Mitchie choose to stare at the ring as if she would see it for the first time.

"Did he get on his knees? Was there a big declaration of undying love?," Cait wanted to know, not realising that her best friend wasn't exited at all, till Mitchie abruptly snatched her hand away and ripped the ring off as if it would burn her skin.

"Whoa whoa, you're acting like this ring would bite you any minute," the blonde one stated, more confused than ever.

"I didn't realise that I still had it on," Mitchie commented in a hurtful tone, not daring to look at the beautiful ring now lying on top of the table.

"Well, if someone proposes to you and ask you to marry him, it's not so unusual to wear an engagement ring, you know. Especially one as beautiful as this one," Caitlyn announced, reaching out to said jewel.

"DON'T!," the bride to be hold her back, letting her friend drop her arm instantly.

"What is wrong with you, Mitch? Luke "the dreamguy" Taylor wants to spend the rest of his life with you and you're acting like this is the worst thing that ever happened to you!"

Caitlyn couldn't believe that her friend, who had been head over heels for said man since the first meeting in a department store 2 years ago, wasn't going crazy for joy at the moment.

Luke was everything a woman could hope for.  
Kind, Handsome, Humorous, Witty and not to mention wealthy as hell, even though money didn't matter to either Mitchie or Caitlyn.

"I don't deserve him," Mitchie finally whispered, clasping her hands tightly in her lap.

"You're out of your mind!," Caitlyn exclaimed, hardly suppressing the urge to smack her beloved friend upside the head.  
"Of course you deserve him. You make him happy and he loves you!

"He won't love me anymore when he gets to know the truth," the other woman stated ashamed, still not daring to look her friend in the eyes again.

"What truth?" Cait grew impatient again and still had no clue what made Mitchie so miserable.  
"Don't you love him anymore?"

A slight shaking of her head announced that this was out of the question.

"Then what Mitch?"

"I can't marry him," her best friend sighed, letting a tear slide down her left cheek.

"But what's holding you back? Are you afraid of commitment?"

"No." It was short and meek, but definitely a no.

"Then what sweety? I'm seriously running out of options here," Caitlyn tried to catch a glimpse of her eyes, that were shielded by her soft locks.

"I can't marry him," Mitchie simply repeated.

"So you said. But **WHY**?"

"Don't you understand?," she finally looked up at her friend, tears present in her eyes.

"Understand what?"

"I am not able to marry him!"

"What do you mean…," Caitlyn started again, her confusion already getting the better of her.

"I'm saying that I can't marry him because I'm **already **married!"

Silence.

All that followed was silence.

And a completely speechless Caitlyn Gellar.

Well, completely speechless for at least a minute.

"How?..I mean when?.. Or more important **WHO**?"

To say that she was overwhelmed would have been an understatement.

Mitchie however looked completely crushed, ashamed of herself and the way she had kept this topic a secret for so long.

"I'm so sorry Cait," she started, guilt crashing over her in more and more waves.  
"I never wanted to keep it from you. But the memory..everything was so painful and cruel..  
I just wanted to forget about it."

"Is that why you moved to Canada out of the blue? Just before my parents were telling me to study in Vancouver?"

Mitchie simply nodded, while Caitlyn's mind seemed to put some pieces into the right places.

"I'm so so sorry Cait." Mitchie choked, her throat suddenly too dry from her tears.  
"I'm such a horrible person."

"That's not true,"Caitlyn stated softly, her own heart breaking at the sight of her best friend.  
"You're only human."

Before Mitchie could come up with another sob, Caitlyn had already embraced her in a tight hug, telling her that she would stick to her promise.

__

Always on your side, no matter what.

"Thank you," Mitchie whispered into her shoulder, trying hardly to suppress more tears.

"I know that you don't want to talk about it in detail," Caitlyn started again, when both girls had slowly loosened the hold on each other, "and I already have a not so pleasant person in mind but…"

"Yeah, it's **_him_**. Who else would it be," Mitchie almost spat, her eyes suddenly filled with a emotion that could only be described as a mixture of anger and hurt.

"Well, even though I already came up with this thought, give me a minute to cope with the fact that you're actually married to Shane _**"The Jerk"**_ Gray."

"Only by law!", her best friend immediately pointed out in a firm voice, trying to block out images of a time that didn't matter anymore.

She had managed to live without a single memory for so long and she wanted to make sure that it stayed the way.  
The name Shane Gray was only a bittersweet taste on her tongue that she had learned to rinse out with a new life.

"So I guess I've overcome the internal shock mode," Caitlyn finally confessed after a short time, letting Mitchie's eyes searching hers in an instant again.  
"And let me say that I can so see your dilemma now. I mean you want to marry Luke, right?"

"More than anything," Mitchie exclaimed without hesitation.

Luke had everything she wanted in a guy.  
He literally was Prince Charming, who had swept her off her feet when she had almost given up on love.

"Well, then we have to make sure that you'll get your Happily Ever After," Caitlyn announced, making it sound like something you could easily do every day.

"And how, may I ask?," Mitchie questioned, catching a glimpse of the beautiful engagement ring out of the corner of her eyes.

"First of all," the petite Blond stated, taking said ring from the table.

"You put that back on, or Luke will get suspicious the next time he comes over. Beside, it's such a waste to put such a beautiful thing somewhere in a dark corner."

She smiled at her beloved friend and handed her the piece of jewel, before she focused on the main topic again.

"And then we have to get you divorced, before Luke and you are walking down the aisle."

"When you say it, it sounds so simple," Mitchie sighed, softly fingering her engagement ring in her left hand.

"Well, you just have to fill in for divorce and.."

"You forget that _**he **_needs to agree with this," the auburn haired woman stated matter of factly, giving her friend the _"You know what this means"-_look.

"Why shouldn't he…," Caitlyn started confused, when a certain thought suddenly crossed her mind.  
"You think he would.."

"He _**so **_would," Mitchie answered, her lips set in a straight line.  
"Even if it's just for his ego. Beside god knows where he is right now."

The truth was, she didn't care.  
Or she didn't want to.

"Maybe his jerky attitude had already backfired and he is rotting in a dark hole somewhere in Timbuktu.  
Along with his heartless better half," Caitlyn hissed, allowing herself to even bring up a certain someone who had broken her heart in many little pieces without a second glance.

_Yeah, she certainly hoped Nate Silver had also gotten what he deserved._

"Referring to Jerk Number Two, I see," the brown eyed woman commented in a flat tone, remembering Nate's behaviour towards her best friend very clearly.

_Yeah, this one didn't deserve any better than his so called best friend._

"But as much as I like this thought, it would only make it harder for me.  
I mean who can agree to a divorce, when he's rotting in a hole on the other side of the planet," she stated,  
earning a nod from the blonde beside her.

"No matter what. We have to fish in that bowl again and catch the one marked "**Jerk of the Century**"," Cait proclaimed. "And if he decides to play dirty.. well we just play dirtier."

At this Mitchie raised her left eyebrow a bit and studied her best friend with a strange expression.

"Now _you're_ the one who's scaring _me_," she announced with a small smile.

"Well, everything's fair in love and war.  
And you want Luke- Love, so we have to go on the _Grey field_ and blow said Jerk away. Literally."

Her eyes told Mitchie that she was willing to go this way with her, even if it would become a dirty ride.

And for the first time Mitchie felt that she could really do it.

Because she had someone at her side who would never let her down.

"Then let us find the so called _**Shane Gray **_and get me divorced," Mitchie finally exclaimed, her mind only focussed  
on one thing.

_Rinsing out the bittersweet taste of him once and for all._


	2. New York, New York

**Author's Note:** WOW guys, I still can't believe how many people have favoured this story  
I also want to thank all people who took the time to review! This means a lot to me! :)  
Hope you'll like the second chappy too. It's longer than the first one but I wanted to have  
the Smitchie confrontation in it.  
I'm sure you don't mind, don't ya? ;)

**Disclaimer:** Same as before. Nothing's mine except my imagination. All rights belong to Disney!

* * *

„Tell me again, why I've agreed to this in the first place", Mitchie sighed, having a hard time to follow her best friend through the crowded streets of New York.

"Well, maybe your fiancee's happy proclamation to get married in _2 months_ left us no other choice," Caitlyn huffed, barely looking up from her map, while she tried to figure out which turn to take next.

Of course the "_Connection of the Airheads"_ had decided to record their new album in NY again," her mind complained again, letting her mutter under her breath.

"But we could have still waited a few days longer instead of just taking the next flight, when Luke had announced to go on a business trip for 2 weeks," the auburn haired woman stated, already wishing that she would be back in Vancouver.

New York held some bittersweet memories for her and she had a hard time to ignore the images that her mind wanted to come up with on its own.  
Not to mention that there were posters of a certain band plastered at almost every corner of the streets.

"Actually we can be thankful for his business trip," Caitlyn stated, finally turning her attention towards her best friend again. "I don't think a note with _"Just getting divorced from Shane Grey, honey. Be back in 2 weeks"_ would have had him jumping with joy. Beside, I'm sure that my brain couldn't have handled much more "_Google- Jerk- Time"_ than I've forced on it the past week. I can still recall things, I SO didn't want to know about said species."

Her face got a disgusted expression and she obviously had a hard time to get rid of whatever had crossed her mind.

_

* * *

_

Yeah ,Shane Grey definitely had mayor personality issues, that was for sure.

* * *

"At least we know he is _more_ than alive and likes to share his ego with the rest of the world," Michie stated in a flat voice, also trying to block out certain information on the lifestyle of the so called Shane Gray.

What he obviously had become was beyond her imagination.

* * *

_- Shane Gray is hitting playboy party again -_

_- Grey's Anatomy has a dirty double meaning -_

_- Who gets a taste of Mr. Grey today? -_

_- Sex sells – Grey's lovemaking hitting the charts… -  
_

* * *

"Why he and his dumbness connection even got that famous during all the years is still a mystery to me," Caitlyn finally spoke up again, interrupting her friend's inner thoughts, not caring about the looks she received from two girls who were proudly presenting the world with the shirt - faces of said band.

"Great. We _are _official on holy _"Connect 3"_ ground again," she added in a low voice, glaring at the forms of said girls before they were finally out of sight and no longer giving her the creeps.  
"Maybe we should have brought some _50 Cent style_ along so people _actually_ knew that we're so _not _into that department."

Her eyes were flickering over a tour poster of said band that was pinned on a huge wall on the opposite side of the street.  
A sight that didn't freak her out since she had been confronted with a large amount of pictures during her web search.  
Not the most pleasant time in her life, as she recalled it.

Mitchie however couldn't suppress a chuckle at that statement and let a grin spread across her face, all thoughts of a certain someone forgotten for a moment.

"50 Cent, Cait? We couldn't come up with a convincing ghetto style if our life depended on it," she almost giggled, letting Caitlyn fall in with her in an instant.  
_  
Yeah, that would definitely be a something._

"God I've missed that," the blond one finally proclaimed after a short giggle, taking in the smile of her best friend, grateful for the situation that gave both girls a short but good laugh.

"Yeah, me too," Mitchie admitted softly before falling back into a neutral expression.  
To soon for Caitlyn's liking.

"I think we won't get a lot of it once we'd crossed the way of the _connected ones_."

Her eyes seemed to get a shade of worry and Caitlyn didn't hesitate a second to pull her friend into a comforting hug, knowing that she needed this right now.

"There's no need to be afraid, Mitch. He can't get to you anymore. You're stronger than ever," she reassured her in a soft voice, stroking her back for a moment.  
"And I won't let you alone with him, no matter what. Remember I got karate classes. Has to come in handy at some point."

A light chuckle vibrated from both bodies before the girls searched each others eyes again.

"What would I do without you," Mitchie sighed deeply. "I owe you…"

"The only thing you owe me...," the curly one interrupted her immediately,  
"Is a veery long movie session with Orlando and Johnny when we get out of this jerk hole. Along with your famous "Torres" muffins."

She presented her with a knowing look and managed a light smile that the other woman softly returned, before suddenly a bunch of screaming girls rounded the corner.

* * *

"What the..", Caitlyn had only time to come up with, before a black limousine appeared on the street and both women literally got overwhelmed by the hysterical crowd of feminine species, having a hard time to stand their ground.

"Mitchie?," Caitlyn yelled after a moment of regaining balance while someone screamed something that sounded like "Nate" right beside her left ear.  
"God, I think I've got internal bleeding," she mutterted to herself, pushing different elbows out of her face, all the while trying to spot her friend over the different heads.

Well, sometimes it didn't come handy to be so short.  
Especially when you almost got crushed by crazy fan girls who obviously only knew one destination.

_Connect 3_

* * *

"Cait," she finally heard the familiar voice of her best friend, catching a glimpse of her auburn hair a few meters away.

"I'm right here Mitch," the blond one yelled, hoping that Mitchie would hear her over all the hysterical screams that suddenly seemed to intensify in a harsh way.

"_Shane you're my GOD!"_

"_Nate I wanna get dirty with you!"_

"_Jaaason!"_

Instantly both girls pressed their hands to their ears while the crowd rushed forward, pushing them to the side of the record building, where they finally faced each other again.

"Are you alright?," Cait immediately rushed forward, looking for any evident bruises.

"I'm fine," Mitchie reassured her friend, pushing her now rustled hair out of her face.  
"Even though I've got a numb feeling in my ears."

"Same here," Caitlyn proclaimed, rubbing her temples softly, before taking a glance at the still screaming crowd that was now gathered around the large vehicle.

"So, look who's obviously in the picture again," Mitchie stated in a neutral way, her mind only coming to terms with the situation slowly. "Even though I doubt that they will be coming out anytime soon," she added at the sight of security guards trying to hold the screaming girls back.

"Well, good for us, since I'm so not in the mood to see their faces right now. Especially not after I nearly got crushed to death," Cait huffed, crossing her arms over her breasts and fixing said black object with a hard glare.

"You know that this should be my line," the brown eyed woman informed her, taking a deep breath and fiddling with the strap of her bag that was holding her divorce papers.

Her most precious possession.

_At least at the moment._

* * *

"We shouldn't have decided to come her in the first place," Mitchie sighed, receiving a questioning look from her best friend.  
"I mean, how should we even get into this building?," briefly glancing at the large building behind her, that was guarded in the typical celebrity way.

"_That _we will figure out, when the screaming zombies over there had their piece of the trio for the day," Caitlyn responded in her typical _Gellar_ way, watching the hysterical girls in front of the main entrance.  
"And as much as I hate to admit it but is seems that this will happen sooner than later," she pointed out, when the guards had finally managed to make some room for the upcoming appearance of said band members, yelling at the screaming fans girls to hold back.

"Maybe you get lucky and your problem will be solved by a hysterical groupie who kisses _him_ to death," Caitlyn couldn't hold back in a somewhat hopeful tone, right before a door of the limousine was opened and a flash of dark her appeared on the scene.

"Here it comes," was all the blond was able to mutter before the screams reached a new level.

And before her best friend got a blank expression on her face.

* * *

_It was the moment Shane Grey stepped into the picture._

* * *

Mitchie watched emotionless how he flashed the screaming fans a pearly white smile and rearranged his dark glasses, fully aware of the effect he had on the audience.

His steps were confident, almost cocky and his dark hair was glistening in the dim light of the afternoon sun.  
A black leather jacket smoothly stretched across his torso, making his muscles flex with every move.

He undoubtedly was the living picture of a bad boy who didn't follow the rules…

* * *

_Flashback:  
_

"_You should really wear your shades more often," she stated, when he pulled her closer to his chest._

"_Oh really. For what reason?"_

"_Well it gives you this bad boy vibe.  
__You know that one that makes a girl swooning from time to time," she whispered with a twinkle in her eyes, watching how his hair swayed softly in the wind._

"_In that case I should maybe get an attitude that goes along with the image," he joked, sending her his pearly white smile and making her punch him lightly._

"_Jerk," she laughed._

"_Only yours baby," he responded in playful bad boy voice, before he kissed her slowly.._

* * *

"Did you see that?," Caitlyn exclaimed in a shocked voice, letting Mitchie immediately return from her inner journey to the past, confusion and hurt written over her face.  
"He kissed her. Hard."

The taller woman slowly started to focus on her best friend again, trying to process her words.

"Who kissed whom?," she finally asked in an unsteady voice, still hearing the echo of her former inner thought.

"_Only yours baby"_

Caitlyn just gave her the _"Are you kidding me"_ look, before pointing to a random fan girl that had a hard time to hold her balance and stop smiling. "Mister _"My Ego Should have an own Name"_ Grey of course. God he's gotten even more worse than I've thought," she stated, her disgust more than obvious.  
"And his _better half_ is also thinking of himself as God's gift. Scribbling down his number on random body parts of his fan club."

Her eyes had instantly narrowed during her statement and Mitchie had no doubt that her friend was referring to no other than _Nate Silver_.

"You paid attention to all of this?," she more stated than questioned, while she had difficulties to come to terms with Shane's behaviour.

He surely didn't follow any rules anymore.

"Well it was kind of obvious with all the screaming and the "_Oh my God he kissed her"_ and so on," Cait plainly pointed out, trying to figure out her friend's expression, while _Connect 3_ had already disappeared into the building.

"They're gone for now. Thank God," the blond one exclaimed with a glance at the now way calmer fan girls.  
"But your look is telling me that this moment had been enough to bring back not so pleasant memories," she stated softly and wanted to reach out to her friend when suddenly a bunch of girls bumped into them, loudly complaining about the fact that _Connect 3_ had already be guarded into the building.

* * *

"Geez the freak show is over. Get a life that doesn't consist of screaming at a group of jerks," Caitlyn stated bluntly, rubbing her right forearm and ignoring the glares from some of the girls.  
"Oh and normal people would say "Sorry" when you nearly dragged them of the sidewalk."

"What do you know," a blond with a least three shades of make up hissed, mustering Caitlyn through narrowed eyes. "You're just jealous that you didn't come anywhere near them and that _the_ Shane Grey had kissed _me_."

"I so don't envy you," Cait stated in a flat voice, her disgust even more evident than before.

"Please, like you wouldn't want to get a piece of him or Nate," the other one exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, flipping her long extensions over her shoulder.  
"Too bad that no one of them would give you or your little friend over there the time of the day."

She was smiling in a sickening way, while the rest of her group simply choose to snicker dumbly.

"I must give you credit for managing whole sentences, seeing how your amount of cheap make up and hair products is seeping into your brain," Caitlyn responded in a clipped voice, trying to control her fury towards this brainless barbie.

"At least I'm not some frigid bitch who makes moon eyes at _Connect 3_ from afar," the fake blond stated, grinning like she had just pointed out the obvious.

Well if she would know _what_ Caitlyn Gellar had done with the so called Nate Gray in the past ,the girl in front of her would know _how_ far from right she was at the moment.

"I hate to disappoint you," Cait finally decided to get back at this barbie-look-alike, already picturing her upcoming reaction in her head, "But me and my friend.."

"Have to go now," Mitchie suddenly exclaimed with a sweet smile, grabbing Caitlyn's left hand abruptly and dragging her away from the group of girls before the blond had any chance to come to terms with the situation.

* * *

"Why did you do that," Caitlyn immediately wanted to know when Mitchie had finally stopped at a side entrance of the building, the echo of the laughing girls still lingering in the air.

"Because I _know_ you," the other woman simply stated, slightly glancing at the guards that were shielding the glass doors.  
"I'm sure you _just_ wanted to point out a former connection with a certain _connection_, right?" she added in a low whisper, giving her best friend a look.

"As if she would have believed me anyway," the blond one huffed, adverting her eyes and taking in her surroundings for the first time.  
"But it seems that this little intermezzo has presented us with a better entrance anyway."

A knowing smile appeared on her small lips and she suddenly got a look in her eyes, that almost screamed  
_"Idea girl in action"._

"Well, if you haven't notice before but this building is guarded like a prison and I highly doubt that they will let us pass when we simply present them with a nice smile," Mitchie stated in a low voice, dragging Caitlyn a few feet away from the security guards.

Her friend however still grinned light a cat who had caught the canary.

"You forgot a very important fact, Mitch" she proclaimed nonchalantly, pointing towards Mitchie's bag.

"My bag?," her friend asked confused. "Do you want us to threaten this walls of guys over there with a simple piece of clothing?"

Caitlyn immediately gave her the _"Duh-look"_ again, not believing that her friend hadn't come up with the obvious so far.

"I would start thinking along the line of a piece of paper and a certain jerk," she tried it again, patiently waiting for her friend to catch up on her thought.

Which she didn't for about 2 minutes.

"What?," Mitchie finally exclaimed, when she had finally gotten the meaning of Cait's words.  
"No way! I'm so not using my married status to get into this building. Then I'd rather sit and wait till they come out."

"Yeah, along with a set of nice security guards," Caitlyn stated the obvious.  
"And then they will go their merry way again, leaving us with another pointless action. Beside, I so don't want to devote myself to _Google_ again just to get a _hint_ where they _could_ be staying," she added as a matter of fact, ignoring her friend's growling and the furious look in her eyes.

"But I still say: No Way!," Mitchie repeated in a firm voice, crossing her arms over her chest and letting her bag dangling loosely on her right wrist for a moment.

"Well, too bad, since I have to do it by myself then," her friend simply informed her with a small smile, before grabbing said item and pulling out the folder with the divorce papers.

"What, NO," Mitchie immediately tried to hold her back but Caitlyn was already making her way towards one of the security guards who smiled at her in a polite way.

* * *

"May I help you madam?"

"I certainly hope so," the blond started, ignoring the hissing of her best friend for the moment.  
"See my friend over here," she began in a sweet tone, dragging a now more than nervous Mitchie into the view of the security guard," hasn't seen her _beloved_ husband for _such_ a long time, since he had been in Europe the past month.  
But she's a very shy one and she is too afraid that you would simply tell her to back off, before she has the chance to fill you in."

Caitlyn smiled proudly at her outcome while Mitchie was left there speechless, remaining at her side like a lost puppy.

"I'm sorry that your friend thinks of us this way," the guard responded in a kind way.  
"But there's no need to worry. If your friend can prove us that she is indeed married to someone in this building you can enter without further notice."

"I'm glad that you say so," Caitlyn continued to smile sweetly.

"I hope this will do, since my friend over there got the _crazy_ idea to fill in for divorce.  
You know the crazy couples in the business. Already filling in for divorce when they miss their better half, only to come to her senses after a _"Hello"-_Kiss," she laughed in a fake way, feeling Mitchie's glare from the side.

"Well, I certainly can say that this is often the case," the guard stated in a polite way, taking a look at the divorce papers.

"So ..Michelle Torres," he let his eyes briefly flickering over Mitchie's face,  
"You are married to Mister Shane Grey." Mitchie simply presented him with a forced smile, when she felt Caitlyn's left elbow softly nudging her side.  
"Didn't know that Mister Gray is married after all."

"Well, you now publicity and all," the blond one cut in again, letting out a short laugh, that made her cringe inwardly. "Wouldn't work so well for the career." She already felt her face getting sore spots from her forced smiling.

"Sadly yes," the guard agreed with her, before looking Mitchie straight in the eyes again.  
"So Mrs Torres, or do you prefer Mrs Gray when you're not in public?"

"Mrs Torres is fine," Mitchie responded, suppressing the urge to cringe at the use of the term "Mrs Gray".

"Well Mrs Torres, do you have any papers with you?"

"Of course," It was Caitlyn's turn again, who immediately handed Mitchie her bag with a meaningful look.

"Yeah, one moment please," the auburn haired woman announced before she started to rummage through her bag.  
"Ah here it is," she finally presented the bulky man with her passport, receiving a nod and a polite smile from him.

"Very well Mrs Torres. You and your friend may enter now."

"Thank you very much," she responded in a friendly tone, immediately grabbing a hand of the still smiling Caitlyn and dragging her along through the high glass doors before another idea could hit the blond woman.

* * *

"Geez, you can let go of me, Mitch. We're inside now," Caitlyn stated in a calm way when they had reached the entrance hall of the building.

"Yeah. We're inside now but at which cost," Mitchie pointed out in a firm voice, still not able to believe what her friend had done a few minutes earlier.  
"_You know these celebrity couples_," she repeated her friend's phrase in a girly way, mimicking a silly laugh that had Caitlyn in giggles almost instantly."Great, now you're also laughing about me. Just great," she taller one huffed, trying to ignore her best friend for the moment.

"C'mon Mitch you have to confess, that we could easily start a career in the acting business. Even though I surely wouldn't take roles that have mayor grinning in it," Caitlyn nudged her friend with her right shoulder, giving her the "I'm sorry"-look.

"Caitlyn Gellar you're definitely.."

"The most loving and infuriating person on this planet, I know," the petite blond stated plainly, letting Mitchie sigh in defeat.

_Caitlyn Gellar definitely was a special number._

"But don't you think that.."

"May I help you Miss," a young man in a suit suddenly interrupted her, before she could give Caitlyn another _lecture_ on the "Not to Do list".

"Actually.." Mitchie adverted her gaze from her friend, taking in the appearance of the blond man, who could easily classified as staff member.  
"Well," she finally started again, reminding herself _why _exactly she was here in the first place.  
"I'm actually here to see Mr.Grey from _Connect 3_, "the person in front of her got informed.  
"We have an _appointment_ but unfortunately I've forgotten on which floor he and his band members are right now."

Her smile matched the business and she inwardly thanked herself for her choice of clothing that gave her the appearance of someone important.

Not to mention that she could congratulate herself on such a calm and mature outcome.

Especially when all she wanted to call said "Mr Grey" wasn't mature at all.

"Mr Grey and his band members are on the 8th floor right now. Mr Roberts office. Room 450," he informed her in a friendly way. "Should I announce you, Miss.."

"No, that's not necessary. Thank you. But I want to _surprise_ him, since I could catch an earlier flight," Mitchie smiled, receiving a short nod from the young man, before he disappeared again.

"And what a surprise it will be," Caitlyn immediately made herself known again, looking at her friend with a hint of awe.  
"I really must say that I'm deeply impressed, Mitch. Especially when you know the bottom of it all."

"Yeah me too," Mitchie stated, taking a deep breath.  
"I just want to get over with it."

"So, you _are_ ready to face him again," the blond one asked softly, glancing at the lifts.

"Honestly, no," the brown eyed woman confessed, her eyes having also glanced in said direction.  
"But if I want to have a future with Luke, I have to do it. I can't hide forever, can I?"

She managed a small, sad smile and motioned her best friend to follow her towards an already open lift cabin.

* * *

"Let me," Caitlyn stated at the nervous look on the other woman's face and pressed the button to the 8th floor, while Mitchie simply managed a short nod and chose to fiddle with her divorce papers.

"Remember, no matter what," the blond finally stopped her friend's nervous actions and rubbed her right shoulder in a comforting way, holding Mitchie's gaze with a soft smile.  
"And just for your information, I don't mind to cause _him_ some bodily harm. So if he tries to act like the jerk he is towards you, then…"

"Then I'll be happy support you in any way possible," the taller one proclaimed without hesitation, making clear that she was in no way willing to let Shane Grey insult her at any rate.

"And again, I'm impressed," Caitlyn announced, taking in the firm look in her friend's eyes.  
"Shane Gray so shouldn't dare to mess with you, girl."

"Yeah he better not," Mitchie stated in an indefinable tone, while the lift had already reached the 8th floor and opened it's doors. "Like you said, he wouldn't know what hit him," she auburn haired woman added towards her best friend, leaving the cabin without so much as a glance ahead that suddenly caused her to bump into a hard body.

"I'm sorry, I…" she immediately began to apologise and slowly raised her eyes towards the other person, only to be left speechless in an instant.

"Oh well," Caitlyn muttered from behind, while Mitchie could only stare at the person that hadn't looked her into the eyes for so many years.

* * *

The person that could without a doubt be classified as no other than Shane Grey himself.

* * *

His look shook Mitchie to the core and she wasn't able to do anything beside holding her breath for a mere second.

"Well, look what we have here," he suddenly spat, fixing her with a cold glare.  
"If this isn't my little _wifey_. Did you finally come to get your piece of the cake now?"

He narrowed his eyes and took into her appearance, never soften his hard expression in the slightest.

Minutes seemed to tick away in which the former lovers could only fix each other with a hard glare, while Caitlyn choose the role of the silent observer.

Only the sound of air conditioning and indefinable rustling behind closed doors joined the silence, no one daring to come up with sound.

Shane had already straightened his frame and seemed to figure out his further verbal attack, while Mitchie hid her emotions behind the mask of a hard expression.

At least till Nate Silver chose to come into the picture and cut into the silence.

* * *

"Man isn't that this Camp chick?," he pointed out in a nonchalantly way, taking a position beside his best friend and giving Mitchie a cold look.

This however immediately caused Caitlyn to take a step forward, already going wild on the inside from the mere sight of the Jerk-Duo.

"Well still the dumbass connection, I see," she remarked in a sharp tone, causing Nate to take into her presence for the first time, while Shane mustered her with interest.

"Caitlyn Gellar," the lead singer finally proclaimed with a sneer.  
"Still a big mouth on you, I see."

"Nothing compared to your ego, Grey," the blond shot back, not willing to let him get the upper hand.

"Ah, I would say that this hurt but sadly it didn't," Shane bit back, touching his chest in a theatratical way.  
"So tell me Caitie," he continued in a fake sweet voice, realising that it would get Caitlyn fuming on the inside,  
"are you still that desperate to find a guy who doesn't run screaming after the first try with you?"

His infuriating smirk let her forget all her thoughts of a somewhat mature behaviour in an instant and left only one option.

__

Hurting him BAD.

"You're..", she immediately wanted to reach for his collar, not caring if security guards would come in her way.

But before the small woman could lunge at the lead singer of the connected 3, she felt Mitchies strong grip on her left wrist, effectively holding her back.

"He's not worth it, " the auburn haird woman whispered towards her best friend, before she finally turned her attention to her still smirking _husband_ again.

* * *

_Yeah, he obviously was amused at the scene in front of him._

* * *

"You're so pathetic and full of yourself, Shane Grey," she exclaimed in a low voice, now her turn to fix him with a cold glare.  
"I'm so glad I didn't waste my past years with you, seeing how you've turned out."

"Look who's talking," he remarked in the same way, slowly inching his face closer to hers.  
"You're the pathetic one. Coming here after 5 fucking years to suddenly claim your part of the big lifestyle."

"Like I would want anything _you_ have to offer," she immediately hissed, holding her ground, even though she could feel the ghost of his breath on her face.

His eyes narrowed even more at this statement and she could make out the slight flexing of his jaw, showing her that he had a hard time to control his rage.

* * *

"Dude, leave her be. She's not worth it," Nate finally choose to interfere again, putting a strong hand on Shane's left shoulder.

"Said his clone," Caitlyn spoke up again, now glaring at the other _Connect 3_ member in an open way.  
"Do you guys get an extra pay, every time you loose more of your brain?"

"Leave it, Cait," Mitchie finally announced in a flat voice, never taking her eyes of the selfish excuse of the so called Shane Grey. "If someone isn't worth the time of the day, it's _them_."

She didn't even flinch a bit, when Nate and Shane literally shot daggers at her.

"And since I didn't want to waste any more time with you, here's _your_ piece of the cake now," she finally took a step towards her _husband_ and pressed the folder with the divorce papers against his hard chest.  
"I hope that it gets any evidence of your existence out of my life once and for all."

With that she turned on her heel and dragged Caitlyn back into the cabin with her, firmly pressing the button to the first floor.

* * *

"Have a _great_ life Shane Grey," was all that could be heard, before the doors slid shut and two of the great Connect 3 were left behind.

One of them finally registering the papers that had dropped at his feet.

* * *

**A/N:** Liked? Disliked? Tell me. And please no flames since Shane and Nate are really jerks. There's still hope along the way ;)


	3. I'm fucking Shane Grey!

**Author's Note:** Well my dearies what can I say?

Your feedback almost blew me away! Thank you so much! ;)

And to answer some questions:

1. No Shane didn't drop the papers. Mitchie threw them at his chest and they dropped on their own ;)

2. Shane and Mitchie got married a few weeks before her 18th birthday.

In General: Don't hesitate to ask something! I'll always answer if it doesn't give away too much of the story ;)

And now have fun reading the new chappy and don't forget to review please! :)

**Disclaimer:** Still nothing's mine except my imagination. All rights belong to Disney or their respective owners!

* * *

"Fuck Fuck Fuck," Shane _"Hottest Celebrity of the Year" _Grey cursed loudly, storming into the large suite of _Connect 3_ like a furious animal who wanted to hit something bad.

"So no good news then," Nate stated, finally glancing up from the sheets of lyrics who had craved his attention for the past hour.

The same amount of time his best friend had spent with the best lawyer of N.Y. fuming and cursing about his so called _wife_.

"What did he say?"

* * *

"What did he say?" Shane barked, throwing his cell against a nearby wall in the process, not caring about damaging it into pieces. "How about giving _her_ the half of my fortune since I've been married to her for 5 fucking years," he proclaimed in a harsh way, already grabbing the bottle of _Jack Daniels_ from the drawer, more than desperate to feel the cool liquid down his throat.

That she had even dared to fill in for divorce, was a crime itself to him.  
But the way she had thrown the papers at his chest…

"Bitch," he muttered under his breath, taking another long sip of the whiskey, closing his eyes for a moment.

* * *

_"You're so pathic and full of yourself, Shane Grey"…_

* * *

"That hurts man," Nate remarked in a nonchalantly way, ignoring the glare that immediately followed.  
"Seems that the gold digging bitch gets her way after all then."

"Only over my dead body," Shane hissed, letting the now empty bottle join his rattled cell on the ground.

"Who does she think she is anyway? Coming along with her bitchy little friend, trying to put on a pathetic show."  
His hands balled into fists and his eyes flickered with an emotion that couldn't be named at the moment.

"Doesn't she know _who_ I am?," he yelled, throwing his jacket off his shoulders in the process, leaving him only in his black wife beater.

_I'm fucking Shane Grey!_

* * *

"And don't we all know it," another voice stated plainly, immediately turning the attention of the other band members in the direction of the bathroom.  
"Get a grip on your ego, for god's sake. You're acting like everyone wants a piece of you, "Jason now joined the scene, rubbing his short hair with a white towel, not saving one of his mates a second glance.

_Shane really could go to hell, for all he cared._

* * *

What easily could have been classified as friendship in the past had disappeared as fast as their singles had hit the charts, leaving them with less than minimal respect for each other.

So the former connected 3 were unconnected personalities now who barely had a common sense for music any longer.

Gone were the days of meaningful songs that had a part of their soul in them.

Instead it was all about the dirty talk now, neatly pressed in a _Rockstar_ package, that mainly consisted of two drinking man whores who had already lost their sense for reality.

Especially the so called Shane _"I'm too good for this world" _Grey.

* * *

"You little piece of..," said lead singer hissed, slowly balling his hands into fists, while Jason dragged a piece of clothes out of his suitcase and merely raised a brow.

"You said ?," the brown haired band member barely commented in a disinterested tone, finally putting on a shirt, while Shane gritted his teeth.

* * *

_Oh boy, how bad he wanted to hit something right now._

* * *

"Jase," Nate now chose to interfere, knowing that Shane was already at the edge of his temper.  
"Now isn't the best time to mess with him."

"Sing me a new song," the straight haired man commented unimpressed, raising his eyes towards the curly one.  
"I'd like to see the day where he _actually_ acts like a _normal_ person who doesn't share the last bit of his brain with  
_Jim_ and _Jack_."

The disgust in his voice was more than evident and he asked himself for the hundred time while he had put up with this in the first place.

* * *

Oh yeah, because there actually _had_ been something like hope along the way…

* * *

"Jason," Nate exclaimed again, now making his way towards said band member, sighing inwardly.

* * *

This was the typical routine when they were together.

Jason snapping at them in disgust.

Nate always taking his best friend's side.

And Shane fulfilling his image of the uncaring bad boy Rockstar.

_Oh how happy had been the days were it was all about group hugs and birdhouses…_

* * *

"I said _"Cut it"._ Shane had a rough day." He presented the man in front of him with a meaningful expression, all the while making sure that there was a safe distance between the eldest band member and the lead singer.

"What, drinking and fucking some random girls, who barely know her own name," Jason stated with the already awaited look of disgust, having learned to stand up against his band mates years ago.

"At least I have a life," Shane yelled from behind, already having another drink in his right hand.

"And what a pathetic one it is," Jason remarked, fixing him with a hard look over Nate's left shoulder.

* * *

_Yeah pathetic in every way…_

* * *

"Aww, another shot through the heart," the dark haired man mocked, instantly taking a few steps towards the other two, not caring about Nate's "Leave it be"-look.

"Why don't you just run to my little_ wifey_. I'm sure she can make some room for another looser."  
He drowned the last bit of his whiskey, feeling it soothing the bitter memory of the meeting with said woman for a moment.

* * *

_Fucking bitch!_

* * *

"Mitchie?," Jason immediately changed his expression, not believing his own hearing.  
"What's with her out of the blue?," he questioned in a suspicious manner, knowing that the last time someone had barely mentioned said topic Shane had loosened his temper in a harsh way.  
"Did you suddenly decide to make her life miserable again?"

It was now his turn to narrow his eyes, always having liked the sweet personality of Mitchie Torres.

Why she had put up with all the crap Shane had caused her in the past was still a mystery to him.

* * *

"Me?", Shane chuckled in a bitter way.  
"Figures, eh? Seeing how little innocent _Mitchie_ is _far_ too good for this world anyway."

His eyes darkened from the unbearable pressure of his inner fury and he had a hard time not to throw his glass right into Jason's face.

"In contrast to you she _has_ a heart of gold," Jason stood up for his former friend, not willing to let Shane put her down in such a way.

"_Heart of gold_," the lead singer laughed in an ironical way.  
"Did you hear that man?," he added with a glance at Nate who had given up on cutting into the scene awhile ago.  
"What a great choice of words. A gold digger with a heart of gold."

He was spreading his arms in a over dramatic gesture now, appearing like a third rated actor who had just entered the stage.

* * *

"You're making no sense." Jason exclaimed, already fed up with the current episode of the _Shane Grey Show_.  
"Like usual." He finally wanted to walk past his fucked up band mate to escape all this shit, when Shane's free hand shot forward and grabbed his right wrist.

"Yeah? Well let me tell you a little story," he hissed, holding him back in a firm grip.

"Not again," the older one tried to break free, already smelling the cloud of alcohol that lingered around said _Rockstar_. "Take Nate and find some bimbos who will happily spread their legs for you. That's what you both good at."

"What do you know anyway," Shane barked at him, finally loosening his grip before smashing his glass at the wall right behind Jason's head.

"That you're completely mad, man," Jason exclaimed in a hard tone, not flinching a bit at least.  
"Mitchie should get extra credit for leaving an asshole like you."

* * *

"Mitchie! Mitchie! Mitchie!," Shane yelled furious.  
"Isn't it enough that this fucking woman showed up here today, throwing some fucking divorce papers into my face?"

"What?," Jason stated in a surprised way, mustering the fuming singer in a sceptical way.

"Are you deaf?" he yelled again, already wishing for another shot of alcohol that would soothe his dry throat.

"Sadly no. But why does she come to you after all these years? Must be a reason for it," the eldest musician announced in a now calm way, wanting to get more information on the topic.  
"No one wants to get a divorce out of the blue, especially when she had hidden from you all these years."

"I'll tell you the reason," Shane gritted through clenched teeth.  
"That little gold digger wants a big part of the cake now, that's why. Wants to see me going down, have a moment of power," he added in a low tone, the wheels in his head literally turning again.

"I don't think that…." Jason immediately wanted to point out, not giving the gold digger topic a second thought.

* * *

Mitchie had never been about money and fame.

* * *

"No one's asking _you_," the lead singer cut in before the taller one had the chance to state his opinion.

He was briefly running a hand through his already messy hair while Nate slowly put a hand on his left shoulder from behind.

"I'm the one in charge here. No one else but me," he finally exclaimed in a loud voice, shrugging Nate's hand off roughly and grabbing his jacket from the floor.

"Where are you going man?," his best friend immediately asked, somewhat like concern evident in his voice.

If the press would get a hold of Shane Grey's current state their manager was surely going to point out therapy sessions again.

* * *

"I'm gonna set things straight," he yelled in a furious way.  
"No one messes with Shane Grey. NO ONE!," he added with a deadly gleam in his eyes before storming out of the suite and leaving his helpless band mates behind.

* * *

At the same time, in the centre of the city, Caitlyn and Mitchie were sitting in a little café trying to come to terms with the events of the day.

"I so needed that right now," the auburn haired woman exclaimed, taking another sip of her extra strong coffee, while she allowed herself to close her eyes for a moment.

"Yeah me too," her friend nodded, placing her cup on the table again.  
"But I still can't believe what jerks they actually have become," she immediately added, still fuming about said topic. "Believe me I _so_ should have hit them."

Her delicate face got a firm expression, while Mitchie slowly opened her eyes again and merely sighed.

"Which would probably have presented us with the nearest police station," she pointed out as a matter of fact, running a hand through her long hair.

"Pfft, as if the duo could have thought along that line," the blond winked curtly.  
"Beside, maybe I could have punched at least a bit of sense in that thick skulls of them.  
Or preciously into the one of Mr _"I'm a pathetic excuse for a rockstar" _Grey," she added in a nonchalantly way, briefly  
fiddling with her donut.  
"But on a second thought, I think the hole in his brain is too large anyway."

Mitchie couldn't cold back the ghost of a smile when Caitlyn suddenly gazed at her through the hole of her donut, effectively emphasising her statement.

"Well, Shane would probably even feel honoured, seeing how you connect him with a simple donut," she stated with a knowing look, letting Cait simply taking a small bite from her sweet.

"But jerk Grey isn't sweet and tasty at all," the petite one mumbled, clearly enjoying the taste of her food.

* * *

_Yep, definitely 10000 times tastier._

* * *

"Yeah," Mitchie just stated in a indefinable voice, watching her munching best friend with a sad expression.

* * *

_But he had been once.._

* * *

_Flashback:  
_

"_Aw Shane, c'mon, gimme," the 17-year old girl tried again to get a hold of the box of cookies in her boyfriend hands, failing miserable._

"_Ah ah ah, you know the magic words," he teased her, holding the box a little bit higher and making her huff even more._

"_Pleaaaaaase," she tried it again, giving him the puppy dog look, hoping it would work this time._

"_Nope, that's not the magic code. Try again," he smirked, taking in her forthcoming pout._

"_Pretty please with cream on top?" _

_Her brown eyes got a hopeful expression and her lips curved into a sweet smile._

"_No."_

_She huffed again, biting her lip._

"_How about_ "_I'm begging you"?_

_"Let me think…no," he responded with a glint in his eyes, dangling the box in front of his face._

_"C'mon Mitch, I know you're dying to get a hold of this chocolate filled goodies."_

_"Well, how about" I'm just kicking you into your shin then"," she finally crossed her arms over her chest, sending him a glare._

_"Aww, baby gets mad," he teased, receiving a scowl from her._

_"Why don't you just say three little words and I'll give you want you want."_

_He was grinning at her like a little boy on a great adventure and she had a hard time to remain her grim expression._

_"Well..," she finally stated, inching slowly closer to him._

_"If I think about it.."_

_"Yeah..," his expression hopeful, while she smiled at him in a sweet way._

_"Is there only one thing left to say."_

_"And that would be?," he breathed, feeling her arms around his waist._

_"I .AM. SORRY."_

_And with that she tickled his sides, letting him drop the box in an instant._

_"That's cheating," he exclaimed in a somewhat hurtful tone, seeing her grinning in triumph._

_"Well all's fair in love and war," she simply stated, before grabbing a delicate cookie and munching on it happily._

_"That sounds like a bunch of cookies is more important to you than me," he commented with a pout, letting his shoulders drop a bit._

_She had to bit back a laugh at this sight and finally put the box beside her, inching closer to him again._

_"What can I say," she stated plainly, searching his eyes._

_"I'm dying for sweet things."_

_Slowly her arms found their way around his neck, letting her feel his breath on her face._

_"And that's why I'm so addicted to you."_

_She grinned at him lovingly before kissing his sweet pout away, feeling him smiling into the kiss…_

* * *

"You alright Mitch," Cait immediately wanted to know, forgetting her donut for a moment, even though the taste has her left craving for more.

"Why had I even to put up with him in the first place," her best friend simply blurted out, letting tired brown eyes meet green ones.

"Oh sweety," the blond exclaimed in a soft voice, wipping her hands on a napkin, while Mitchie merely sighed and had to suppress the urge to let her head drop on the cold surface of the glass table.

"You know, that's sadly the thing with love," Cait went on, getting a thoughtful look.  
"Where it finds a place it burns a hole in your brain, leaving a space that can't be renewed." She pointed at the donut on her plate, letting Mitchie's gaze flicker to said item for a moment.

"That's why we will always be reminded of unlucky love experiences, seeing how said holes have bad influence on our minds."

At the end of her statement the blond's eyes where mustering said donut again while the other woman was contemplating her friend's words and briefly fingered with her cup of coffee.

* * *

"Maybe Shane is a whole connection of holes," Mitchie's mind stated on it's own, recalling the once mile deep love for said person before Cait's voice broke through again.

* * *

"And I'm sure the so called _Nate_ hole in my head had caused me _serious_ harm, seeing how I obviously get a deeper meaning just by looking at a stupid donut," she exclaimed in an unnerved tone, finally throwing said item in a trash bin beside her.

* * *

_So much for holes.._

* * *

"You know that you've paid for this thing," Mitchie pointed out as a matter of fact, earning the "_Don't you say"_ look from the woman in front of her.

"Well, concerning the _hole connection_ I've already paid much more," she whispered, now her turn to advert her gaze for a moment.

* * *

_God how she sometimes hated her uncontrollable feelings._

* * *

"Me too," the taller admitted in a small voice, softly putting her right hand on top of Caitlyn's left one.  
"But I remember someone saying that we'll get through it all, no matter what."

"Well, must have been a witty person," Cait finally turned her face towards her best friend again, managing a cautious grin.

"A very witty person," Mitchie pointed out, returning the cautious grin, before the sound of her cell cut into the moment.

* * *

_Oh the joy of technology._

* * *

When the sound didn't stop after a few moments, the auburn haired woman gave her friend a tired _"I'm sorry" _look before she finally began to search for the blaring item, finding it in the small pocket of her jacket.

Immediately Aerosmith's _"Crazy" _sounded in full volume and Caitlyn glanced at her sceptically while Mitchie simply mouthed "Mum" and answered the phone.

"Hey Mum," she greeted in a overly cheerful voice, not wanting to give her mother a tired and frustrated impression that actually lingered in her eyes.

"Yeah me and Cait have a wonderful shopping trip," she went on, trying to sound convincing, when Mrs Torres asked her different questions about the so called _"Girls Trip"._

* * *

Truth was, her poor mother had not a single clue that her daughter was in New York, trying to convince her so called husband to sign the divorce papers, nor that the was _still_ married at all.  
Not to mention the fact that Luke had proposed to her and wanted to walk down the aisle within the next months.

* * *

"What? Ah.. the pastry shop… Where was it again?" Mitchie gave Caitlyn a meaningful look, while her mother pointed out the directions to said pastry shop in _Los Angeles_, making her daughter sigh inwardly.

* * *

_Why did they have to choose a city that her mother was literally crazy for again?_

* * *

"Well we will look out for it Mum but I won't promise anything."  
She made a helpless gesture, letting Caitlyn grin in a " Sure we will" way, while her mother continued to ramble about the greatness of Los Angeles.

"Yeah we will check it out. I promise," Mitchie assured her, trying to ignore the pang of guilt.

* * *

_God how she hated her life right now._

* * *

"Look Mum we really have to go now. Cait needs to use the bathroom," she finally came up with, hoping to end the conversation as soon as possible before she would really run out of excuses.

"I'll make sure to call you in a few days."

* * *

She hated lying, especially towards her mother but the circumstances had left her no other choice, seeing how complicated her past had been.  
Otherwise her mother would already be out on the hunt for her _still s_on-in law, might letting all hell break loose.  
A risk that Mitchie couldn't take, no matter what.  
Especially since there were things in her closet that a certain _Shane Grey_ should never get to know.

* * *

"Of course, Mum. Give the cool one a hug from me. Love ya."

With a deep sigh the young woman finally closed her cell and dropped it onto the table, feeling exhausted and miserable.

"I hate this," she muttered, pushing a few strands of hair out of her face, before facing her best friend again.

"So Aerosmith and pastry shops," Caitlyn stated nonchalantly, presenting the woman in front of her with a raised brow and a _"Fill me in" _look, letting Mitchie sigh again.

"You know Brown and his great references," the auburn haired one finally stated, winking at her.

"Yeah it's still a little scary that your mother and Brown are living the wild life together," the blond one exclaimed without hesitation, still having difficulties to come to terms with the relationship between Mrs Torres and said Camp owner after all these years.

"Don't mention it," Mitchie scrunched up her nose, sending her friend a wry smile.  
"I still have images in my mind, I so didn't need to see."

* * *

Truth was, she loved Brown to pieces and often turned to him for advice but the way he and his mother were always making moon eyes at each other could easily put every romance novel to shame.

Ever since her parents had drifted apart over the summer of _Camp Rock _, finally proclaiming that they just held friendly feelings for each other anymore and getting divorced half a year later, her mother had spent more and more time with said Camp owner, becoming a staff member for good.

So the inevitable had happened more sooner than later with Brown confessing his feelings for Connie in a corny song about a Brownie that had fallen in love with a beautiful woman while her mother had simply baked cookies in the shapes of hearts.

And now they were already living together for about 4 years, acting like lovestoned teenagers who were lost in their own little world, smiling and whispering to each other all the time.

* * *

"Did you know that they dressed up as "_Danny and Sandy"_ for a theme festival last month?", Mitchie finally continued, having Caitlyn almost instantly burst into giggles at that thought.  
"I thought I would get a heart attack when my mother had opened the door in a skin tight leather suite and a peroxide wig, greeting me with _"What's up Mitch".  
_Not to mention Brown's version of _"Sandy"_ that went more along the line of _"Connie"._

She was presenting her best friend with a somewhat pained expression now, while her mind was still hanging on that awkward situation.

* * *

_Yep, so didn't need to see that._

* * *

"These two are really a number," Cait finally spoke up again, grinning like there was no tomorrow.  
"And you're related to _both_ of them," she added without a second thought, regretting her choice of words in an instant.  
"I mean.."

"It's ok Cait," Mitchie immediately cut in, trying to come to terms with another wave of sadness that had instantly captured her heart at Caitlyn's words.  
"Brown would be thinking of me as _"the daughter he never had"_ even if I didn't have this _slight_ Grey connection. Not to mention that he and my mother are still thinking of me as the already divorced one," she continued with a sigh, adverting her gaze towards the deep black of her coffee for a moment.

* * *

_Why couldn't her problems just drown into a dark nothing?_

* * *

"It doesn't matter anyway, Mitch," Cait tried to soothe her friend's worries in a soft voice, taking in her guilty expression.  
"Brown hasn't seen the jerk one for ages, right? And I seem to recall certain statements about "setting him straight" if  
_he_ and his ego _ever_ had the nerve to mess with your life again. "

She reached for her friend's left hand again, letting Mitchie finally tear her gaze away from the already cold cup of coffee.

"Well, I have the bad feeling that _he_ plans _exactly_ to do so," the brown eyed woman exclaimed with a deep sigh, referring to no other than Shane Grey himself and instantly appearing a bit paler.  
"There's no way he..," she wanted to continue in a worried tone, already biting her lip, when the sound of her cell cut into the scene again.

* * *

"Not again," Mitchie immediately mumbled, gazing at the blinking item with a tired look.  
"I'm sure it's just my Mum again," she sighed, giving Caitlyn a knowing look.

"Well it's not _Aerosmith_," the blond stated as a matter of fact, glancing at the still sounding cell for a second.

"She's probably calling from home now, seeing how she was on her way from the supermarket before," the other woman merely pointed out before taking a deep breath and finally answering the phone.

* * *

_Ok, here we go again._

* * *

"Hey Mum. Did you forget something?," she exclaimed in a friendly tone, knowing that her mother had the tendency to call for literally nothing.

"Cut the crap," a very pissed off voice immediately barked at her, letting her drop the cell almost instantly.

"Excuse me?," she responded in a shocked tone, completely lost for a moment. "Who's there?"

"How about your fucking _husband_," the harsh voice yelled in such a high volume that even Caitlyn could follow the words, her eyes widening in an instant.

* * *

_Jerk Time._

* * *

"Shane," Mitchie finally stated in a flat voice, her heart racing from the fact that _he _was calling her.  
"What can _I_ do for you?" She tried to remain calm, not giving into her own upcoming anger for the moment.

"What _you _can do for me?"he barked again, his fury even more evident than before.  
"How about taking these fucking papers and going back where you've come from!"  
He was almost crushing the folder with said papers in his right hand now, not caring about the digging of his nails into his palm.

"So you've signed them already?," Mitchie more stated than questioned, trying hard to remain a cool tone, even though her insides were screaming to bite back in an even more harsh way.

"Have you completely lost your mind?," Shane immediately shot back, not believing how daring she was.

"Maybe I should ask _you_ this question seeing how you obviously have a problem with your temper," she spat, while Caitlyn had a hard time not to grab the cell out of her hand.

"Well, _excuse me_ for _not_ throwing the half of my fortune right into _your_ face," he hissed, still storming through the crowded streets of New York with a security guard on his heels.

* * *

_He so needed a drink right now._

* * *

"I told you I _don't care_ about your stupid money," Mitchie now barked openly, receiving some looks from the other customers in the process.  
"I just want the sickening fact of our marriage _out of my life_!"

"Which only took you 5 fucking years to come up with," he proclaimed with a sarcastic laugh, not believing a single word of her statement. "You're really pathetic if you think that _you_ can fool _me_."

He had now entered one of New York's most precious celebrity clubs, barely glancing at the bartenders before occupying his private spot in the best part of the location.

"As if you would be _that_ smart anyway," Mitchie immediately remarked in the same tone, receiving a thumbs up from Caitlyn.

"Don't mess with me, Torres," he informed her in a threatening way, already having a drink placed in front of him.  
"I'm the one in charge here."

"So what?," she finally exclaimed in a low tone, more than fed up with this senseless conversation.

"_So_ you have to work for it." He leaned back on the red leather couch, slowly bringing his glass toward his full lips.

"Work for what?," the young woman exclaimed, not hoping that her instinctive worry may be true.

"For your precious divorce, my _dear_," he simply stated in a sweet, sickening way, that made her hurl inwardly.

"I don't think so!!," she pointed out in a furious way, gripping the edge of the table tightly.

"Well if you _really_ want it _that bad_ you certainly will," he proclaimed nonchalantly, casually ordering a refill of his drink by hand signal. "So meet me at the_ "Golden Palace"_ in half an hour without your snappy lap dog.  
You know there are no bugs allowed."

* * *

_With that he presented Mitchie with the dial tone, effectively preventing her from a harsh comeback that literally had lingered on her tongue._

* * *

"I'm _so_ going to kill him," Mitchie immediately exclaimed in a furious way, already gripping her belongings and starting to get up.

"Wait, where are you going?", Caitlyn stated confused, instantly trying to catch up with her already rushing friend.  
"Mitch, wait," she yelled stumbling after her towards the streets.

"Where are you off to?"

"_Working_ for my right," Mitchie yelled with a firm look in her eyes, quickening her steps in a confident way and leaving a signing blond to hurry after her.

* * *

_Well, so the game was on…_

* * *

A/N: Well, what do you say? Do you think Mitchie and Shane will be at each other's throat in the next chappy?

Or maybe Shane has already drunken himself to death till then? Who knows.. ;)

Anyway, just to state some basics:

Shane is not an alcoholic even though his amount of drinking isn't small at all.

He needs the stuff to control his anger, fury and his depression (yep, there's also depressed Shaney along the way ;)).

Oh and anyone who actually _does_ like him at the moment gets an extra credit from me.. I certainly would have hit him with a bottle of Jack's already.. ;)

So please review and tell me your opinion! :)


	4. Look who's there

* * *

Author's Note:

Well my dearies, your reviews and mails have literally blown me away again!  
Thank you all, so so much! It's really amazing! :)

Concerning the story: First of all I'd like to point out that this chappy actually consists of two chapters because it's so damn long (almost 8000 words), so a lot of stuff is in there.  
It's not unusual for me to write long chapters but this case won't be a regular, just so you know ;)

In General: Since some people emailed me and asked for a Jason/Caitlyn ship, I now want to know what the most of you prefer ( I actually wanted to go for Naitlyn but I also don't have a problem with Jaitlyn). So give me your opinion please! Thank You!

And as always: Hope you like the chappy and don't forget to leave a review :)

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Still nothing's mine except my imagination. All rights belong to Disney or their respective owners!  
Lyrics are from _"What's left of Me"_ by _Nick Lachey_ (also don't own them)

* * *

**Part 4**

* * *

_Watch my life pass me by in the rear view mirror, pictures frozen in time, are __becoming clearer…_

* * *

God, _how _Shane hated this song.

And right now it was blaring out of the speakers in high volume, giving him a feeling he so didn't want to have at the moment.

* * *

_And I want you and I feel you underneath my skin, like a hunger, like I'm burning __to find a place I've never been,  
now I'm broken and I'm faded, I'm half the man I thought I would be…_

"Do me a favor and cut this crap," he finally yelled at a female staff member, pointing in the direction of the sound system and setting his lips in a grim line. "I thought this place would at least have a _little_ bit class."

The young girl immediately stopped her actions of cleaning glasses and took in his angry expression, before nodding meekly and stumbling towards the backroom like someone was hot on her heels.

* * *

_Well at least the lower ones know not to mess with him. _

* * *

"And bring me another shot of _Johnny_," he added in an unnerved tone, pushing his empty glass away roughly and trying to ignore the still blaring tune.

* * *

_Take what's left of this man, make me whole once again…_

* * *

Shane couldn't suppress a bitter chuckle at this line and asked himself once more why he hadn't messed with fucking _Nick Lachey_ when he had the chance a few years ago.  
Would have saved the world from another sickening break up song, that was for sure.

But before he could open his mouth once again, having every intention to express his dislike again, the sound suddenly stopped and all there was left was silence.

* * *

_Finally._

* * *

"Took you long enough," Shane yelled immediately to no one in particular, grim expression still in place.  
"But I'm _still _waiting for.." he started to point out the not present refill of alcohol, ready to raise his voice to a new level, when suddenly his cell broke through the silence.

"Just what I needed," the dark haired lead singer mumbled under his breath, not bothering to check the caller ID before nonchalantly answering the phone.

* * *

"What?," he immediately stated in an unfriendly tone, more concerned about his lack of alcohol then the person at the other end of the line.

"Don't _"What"_ me Grey," another male voice pointed out in a firm way, letting Shane merely roll his eyes for a second. "Where have you been? We had a meeting with the producers! And what for god's sake is this crap about you being _married_? Do you know that the press is already digging in your trash?"

The manager of _Connect 3_ had a hard time to hold his temper while the lead singer just got an unnerved expression and rolled his eyes again.

"It's not like I killed someone," Shane stated unimpressed, not really giving a damn about the press at all.  
"So spare me the speech. I've got better things to do."

"Like what? Drinking yourself to death?," his manager pointed out without hesitation, not willing to put up with his habits any longer. "Listen Grey, you _will_ put yourself together and get your ass over here. The big bosses want a shiny new song and I won't cover for you again."

"Then go and call Timbaland," Shane immediately cut him off, already fed up with this conversation.  
"Why bothering me?"

"Why bothering_ you_?," Scott Roberts now yelled openly, letting the lead singer flinch back for a second.  
"How about the labels will cut your strings if you don't start writing a song within this week? Not to mention…"

"As if," Shane immediately exclaimed, again full of himself. "The band's nothing without _me_. _They_ need _me_."  
He finally had a new drink placed in front of him and eagerly reached out to feel the cool liquid down his throat.

_Yeah, much better._

* * *

"Well, _newsflash_, Grey," his manager instantly bit back in an angry voice,  
"This is not a one man show. And if you don't start working on your image _very_ soon, you'll be down the road faster than you can say _"I'm fucking Shane Grey_"!"

"Don't go all drama on me again," Shane simply remarked in a low tone, still not seeing the problem at all.  
"I'm sure Jason can come up with some girly stuff that will make the old bosses happy. Like I said I've got more important things to do right now." He took another sip of his whiskey and leaned back in a comforting way, not really caring about the useless statements anyway.

"What, catching up with your _wife_?," Scott hissed, still having a hard time on said topic, especially since the press was literally banging on his door.

* * *

_Figures, when you're meeting a famous divorce lawyer in public._

* * *

"That's none of your fucking business!," the young man snarled in an instant at that comment, his jaw tightening on its own. "I'm taking care of this on my own."

"I've already heard _how_ you've taken care of it," the manager informed him in an icy tone, curtly winking his entering secretary off. "Never thought that you and that little Torres girl have hooked up in _that_ way. Especially since she ran off all those years ago."

He was briefly looking at the screen of his laptop now, inwardly sighing at an incoming message.

"Listen Grey," he continued before Shane was able to come up with a witty remark.  
"I'm your manager and it's my job to look out for your image, even if it's going round shitty ways sometimes.  
And all this marriage crap..well, let's face it..it's so not helping your reputation.." He was breathing deeply now, still fixing the screen of his laptop, while Shane simply responded with a low chuckle.

* * *

_God, his manager was really a pathetic excuse for the business._

* * *

"So what?," the lead singer finally exclaimed, now somewhat amused by his upcoming thoughts.  
"You're gonna beat the big bad wolves with your designer suits and tell them a little story about poor Shaney?"  
His voice was mocking now and he clearly enjoyed to put his manager down, presenting him with the Rockstar jerk side once again.

"No Grey, it's YOU who will tell them," Scott however responded in a firm business way, having more experience with Shane's regular behaviour and his often drunken state of mind than he'd ever wanted.  
"More specific _"People" _Magazine tomorrow at 11 am. Right before your shooting for _"Rolling Stone"._

He was rustling with some papers now, while Shane was left there in silence.

* * *

_Did he hear right_?

_He should tell fucking "People" Magazine about his fucking wife?_

* * *

"Are you out of your mind?," he finally yelled in such a strong voice that all eyes turned to him for a moment.  
"There's no way I'm talking to that fucking magazine!"

"Be grateful that you're given the chance to explain in your own words before the rats out there come up with their own version of your little marriage," Scott responded in a calm voice, having expected this reaction of said _Rockstar_. "Beside, we have to think about the band and their image, not only yours. I'm sure your mates don't want to experience a downfall."

"Grateful my ass," Shane hissed, now standing up and beginning to pace in the VIP section of the club.  
"And Nate and Jason don't give a shit about it either. Who's interested in that fucking topic anyway?"

"How about your fans who are craving you like there's no tomorrow," the manager stated in a monotone voice, already checking _Connets 3's_ schedule again. "Image their reaction when they hear that _Shane Grey_ is off the market. For over _5 years_."

"I'm not off the market !," the 24-years old barked, running his free hand through his dark hair, before kicking a nearby chair out of his way. "And I'm still doing fans so…"

"Well that's another thing we have to talk about. Again," Scott cut in, letting out a tired sigh.  
"The label and me have decided that's for the best when you start therapy sessions again."

"WHAT?," Shane instantly exclaimed in a furious voice, while his manager simply took a deep breath, preparing himself for the upcoming outburst. "I'm not seeing a shrink again. You are completely out of your mind."

"Grey listen, it's for the best.." the older man tried to soothe Shane's temper but failing miserable.

"I so don't care! Not about the fucking label, nor fucking _"People"_ magazine or my fucking _wife_!"  
He was pacing now and literally shot daggers at everybody who barely glanced his way.

"I suggest you calm down a bit and then I'm gonna send someone to pick you up so.."

"You know what Roberts?," Shane cut him off in a fed up tone, putting the cell right in front of his face. "Fuck OFF!"

* * *

"If you have the papers ready," a certain female voice now made herself known, having catched upon the_ "Fuck off" _part and letting Shane turn around in an instant.

* * *

_Ah, now the wifey was back in the picture again._

* * *

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," he slurred in a cold tone, dropping his now disconnected cell on a nearby table and crossing his arms over his hard chest.

* * *

_To hell with all the label shit._

* * *

"Call me surprised." Instantly a challenging gleam was in his dark eyes that had Mitchie fuming on the inside again in mere seconds.

His arrogant attitude was literally crashing against her in high waves and she was fixing him with a look that could certainly kill.

"I would rather call you other things but you're not bright enough to notice anyway," Mitchie exclaimed in a low tone, also crossing her slender arms in front of her.

"Is that so?," Shane slowly advanced on her, a typical selfish grin making its way forward, while he briefly glanced over her left shoulder. "That's why your little lap dog tagged along? To let you act all high and mighty?"

His eyes locked with an angry blond for a moment before he presented the auburn haired woman in front of him with a slightly raised brow, suddenly standing far to close for her liking.

She was able to make out the little flecks of a gold tone in his orbs, even more outstanding now that his temper has risen again, and was suddenly left motionless.

A harsh comeback had literally been on her tongue and now her lips didn't move in the slightest.

* * *

_What was wrong with her?_

* * *

"So your sharp tongue isn't so sharp anymore, I see," Shane finally commented her motionless expression in a haughty voice, letting his warm breath linger on her left cheek for a moment and causing her to shudder for a mere second.

A second in which she finally snapped out of her daze and instantly got angry at herself for such an immature reaction to his closeness.

* * *

_New York doesn't do you any good so far, girl._

* * *

"You…" she started to raise her voice, eyes already narrowing at his still smirking form, when a familiar person suddenly choose to cut in.

* * *

"I'm guess she's just having a hard time to believe that you can actually come up with whole sentences, Grey" Caitlyn announced from the background, having observed the scene from a respectful distance for awhile.

This however let the still married couple turn their attention towards the petite person a few feet away in an instant, before the curly blond was presented with a genuine smile and a hard glare.

Of course, the latter belonging to no other than _"I'm on top of the world" _Grey himself.

* * *

"Can't somebody just plaster a duct tape over your mouth," Shane exclaimed in an unnerved tone, not in the mood for Caitlyn Gellar at all.

* * *

_Maybe someone could put this annoying little blond and his fucking manager in a bag and drown them somewhere in the ocean._

* * *

"Don't take any notice, Cait. He's just being his _true self_ again," Mitchie now pointed out, before her now smirking best friend could start an argument again. "And I'm sure I can handle his pathetic self alone for awhile."

She presented the other woman with a knowing look, making her realise that _Mrs Grey _wanted to get to business now.

"If it gets messy, you know where to find me," the blond responded in a supporting way, briefly gesturing towards the entrance. "And if you want to kill him, just go ahead but don't leave any evidence."  
With a last _"Don't mess with her look"_ towards the glaring _Rockstar_, the petite woman finally turned on her heels and rushed outside.

_So let the fun begin..._

* * *

"About time," Shane muttered in an unnerved tone over Mitchie's left shoulder when the last bit of Caitlyn's blond hair had rounded the corner.

In an instant the auburn haired woman turned around, only to come face to face with him again.

* * *

_What's with the closeness today?_

* * *

Without hesitation she brushed past him, trying to put the much needed space between them and stopping a few feet away.

* * *

_Better._

* * *

Shane however couldn't suppress a slight grin at her act and tilted his head a little bit sidewards, appearing like a model who had just gotten into pose for the next shoot.

"Jumpy, aren't we?," he stated the obvious, letting a frown marring her features in an instant.

* * *

Why did _he_ have to point out the topic when she couldn't come to terms with it herself?

Oh how much she wanted to wipe that infuriating grin of his face right now.

* * *

"Happens when you're not the biggest fan of _"Whiskey on the Rocks","_ she came up with instead, remembering the smell of his breath.

* * *

_The breath on her face…_

* * *

"Maybe you should give it a try. Would loosen you up a bit in the right places, "he responded nonchalantly, pointing towards her head and letting her snap out of the beginning of a daze she so didn't want to experience.

"And end up like you?," the beautiful woman shot back in a sarcastic way, ablaze showing in her brown eyes.  
"No way."

She fixed him with a hard glare, while he slowly advanced on her in confident steps and finally let his well-trained frame hover over her smaller one.

"You don't know what you're missing," he exclaimed in a deep voice, flashing her a pearly white smile, before he brushed past her to grab his half full glass of high-proof liquid from a table.

Mitchie however gritted her teeth at his nerve-racking attitude and had a hard time to control her temper, especially since his closeness had set her nerves on overdrive again.

* * *

_Oh she couldn't wait to get away from him._

* * *

"So can we finally go down to business before you've drowned the last bit of your brain," the young woman therefore pointed out in a firm way, seeing how Shane already ordered a new shot.  
"Or I could also strangle you right away and spare us the lawyers' fees," she suggested in false sweetness, finally noticing the slightly crumbled map of papers on the table beside her.

"Is that your way of getting your hands on my precious body again?," he simply smirked in a smug way, leaning his hip against the table and bathing in the feeling to see her squirm on the inside almost instantly.

"Precious?," she hissed, not believing his nerve to even consider _such_ a thing.  
"I would rather cut off my hands before touching any part of you _ever_ again."

She was still standing a few feet away from him, her hand now clenched into fists and her breathing controlled by her fury.

"And here I thought we could make a deal," Shane commented with an indifferent expression, his mask firmly in place. "Not that it would be worth it."

He winked at her in a _"I'm way out of your league anyway"_ gesture and finally turned around to plop himself into his seat again.

Stunned, Mitchie just clenched and unclenched her fists, while her mind presented her with different images to harm said _Rockstar_.

* * *

"Well, don't we have some _business_ to discuss," the lead singer added in an impatient way, fixing her unmoving form with an annoyed expression, while he spread his arms over the back of the red leather seat.

* * *

_Oh how bad she had to control herself right now._

* * *

"That we have _indeed_," she finally hissed, slowly occupying the seat across from him more than grudgingly.

"Drink?," he asked briefly when a waiter suddenly appeared with his ordered Scotch that the lead singer almost drowned in an instant.

"No," Mitchie pressed forward, fixing him with a mix of disgust and pity.

"Well then suit yourself," he exclaimed in a flat voice, not caring about her needs anyway.  
"Even if I think that you'll need one when we're through with the deal."

"How can you even _dare_ to _suggest_ me a deal for a simple divorce," she suddenly blurted out in a harsh way, her temper finally gotten the better of her.

"Do you really think I would give it to you with a red bow on top?," he immediately shot bat in an ironical way, his body now leaning slightly forward on the table. "Or the check already attached?"

"I told you I don't give a damn about your money," she yelled openly, not caring about the looks she received from other guests.

* * *

_Not even if they were Hollywood's most craved._

* * *

"Yeah. _Right_.." he huffed, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Listen _Shane_," now her turn to hiss again. "Just sign the damn papers and…"

* * *

Just then her cell choose to cut into the scene, forcing her to drop the subject for the time being and turning her attention away from her glaring _husband_ for a moment.

"Always the _best_ timing," she muttered under her breath, while her hands frantically searched for the phone, before finally having it in sight.

* * *

_Caller ID : Luke_

* * *

"Well, won't you answer it," Shane stated in an annoyed tone, when she just started at her blaring cell and bit her lip, figuring out what to do.

* * *

_Just what she needed right now._

* * *

"I don't have all day," the raven haired _Rockstar_ added in his typical _"I'm on top of the world"_ way, growing more impatient the longer the sound of the cell continued.

The 22 years old woman however felt the pace of her heart quicken the longer her eyes locked on the blinking display and had a hard time to come up with a good way to greet her fiancee.

* * *

Because the least she wanted to do was filling her _still_ husband in on her _soon to be_ husband.

* * *

"I swear if you don't answer the damn thing right now, I'm gonna do it on my own," Shane barked again, when Luke still hadn't give up on the call.

At this, Mitchie finally snapped out of her absentmindedly state and gave him a _"don't you dare"_ look, before taking a deep breath and turning her head away for some privacy.

* * *

_Ok, here we go._

* * *

"Hey..you," she finally greeted her fiancee in an overly cheery tone that made her cringe on the inside while Luke simply chuckled in a carefree way, always more than happy to hear the sound of her voice.

"Hey darling," he responded lovingly.  
"I got your text message and just wanted to check on you before I have to catch my flight to Sydney."  
She could almost hear his familiar smile that mostly went along with a sparkle in his blue eyes, always giving you the impression of a perfect picture coming to life.  
"So how's your trip going? Are you and Cait already covered in shopping bags?"

* * *

To say she felt awful right now would have been an understatement.

* * *

"We're having a..great time," she whispered in a small voice, slightly glancing at Shane who's eyes seemed to follow her every move.

* * *

_Oh how she wishe__d to be anywhere but here right now._

* * *

"Are you sure honey?," Luke immediately stated in a concerned tone, his brows crunched together in worry.  
"You don't sound that happy at all."

"Yeah..I'm fine. Everything's really peachy," she struggled to respond in a convincing manner, out of the corner of her eyes seeing how Shane lazily took of his jacket and bared his black wife beater.

* * *

_Oh dear…_

* * *

"Someone definitely took some time to work out," a little voice in Mitchie's head sing songed instantly and let her eyes roam over his frame on their own, while Luke's voice suddenly sounded _far,far_ away.

* * *

Not that it mattered to her how Shane's shoulders had broadened or the way his muscles of his arms flexed with every slight movement.

* * *

Nevertheless she was mesmerised by the sight in front of her and couldn't concentrate on anything beside said _Rockstar_ who was currently mustering her with a strange expression.

But even this seemed to disappear in a blur of untypical thoughts that she couldn't understand at all.

* * *

What was it her mind wanted to point out?

_The benefits of a personal trainer?_

_The crime to wear a wife beater in winter?_

_Or was it the fact that a part of her still found him attractive?_

_Attractive in the drool worthy sense?  
_

The little annoying voice inside her head had barely pointed out this possibility when Mitchie abruptly snapped back to her senses and nearly dropped her cell.

* * *

_No way!_

* * *

"I so do not!, " she exclaimed in an outraged voice, her beautiful eyes gaining a shade of panic, while her heart still followed a wild rhythm.

* * *

_Attractive? Please…_

* * *

"What?," the voice of her fiancee instantly roared through the phone, making her flinch for a second, while Shane simply fixed her with a _"You've got serious issues, girl" _look.

* * *

_Great, just what she needed._

* * *

"Uhm..come again?," she finally exclaimed in a guilty voice, hoping that her fiancee hadn't mentioned something of importance.

It was bad enough that she had embarrassed herself in front of the self centric jerk but Luke was on a completely different page.

"Are you drunk?," Luke now asked in a suspicious manner, still having a hard time to come to terms with her previous outburst and her now strange behaviour.

"I'm telling you that I can't wait to get married and all I receive is heavy breathing, followed by a horrified exclamation of _"I so do not!"!_ Way to make me feel special, I would say."

He didn't try to cover the hurt in his voice, while Mitchie slumped down in her seat instantly.

* * *

_Oh my…_

* * *

"I'm sorry ," she responded in a meek voice, the embarrassment clear on her face.

"Sorry for accepting my proposal?," her fiancee pointed out without hesitation, letting her eyes widen on its own.

"NO," she rushed to explain, not caring that a certain _Rockstar_ in front of her was getting more and more impatient by every passing minute. "I didn't mean it that way."

Her voice was hushed now because she wasn't willing to fill Shane in into her private life or in anything at all, for the matter.

"So what did you actually mean then?," Luke wanted to know, his voice now a tad softer, even though he still had an uneasy feeling inside of him.

What if Mitchie actually had second thoughts but didn't want to hurt him?

"I meant that…," the young woman finally continued, trying to figure out the right words to soothe his worry,  
"that I so do not.. want to wait any longer."

* * *

_What?_

* * *

"Are you trying to say that you want to get married earlier?," he asked in a hopeful tone, not believing his own hearing.

"Well…yes," she forced herself to say a tad too loudly, not seeing another option after her _great _statement.

"Oh Mitchie that's wonderful," Luke immediately exclaimed, the excitement evident in his voice.

"You know I was hoping that maybe you would be as eager as me. And now that you've pointed it out, it would be more than perfect to have the ceremony on our anniversary in 4 weeks." A broad smile joined his handsome features and he could barely register the voice that was announcing his flight through the speakers.

Mitchie on the other hand could also barely register anything but more out of shock than out of happiness.

* * *

_4 weeks?_

_She had cut it down to 4 weeks?_

* * *

"Listen honey, I have to catch my flight now," Luke suddenly spoke up again in a rushed voice, his effort to make it in time more than obvious. "I'll call you when I'm there. And I'll send the wedding planner an email with the date change, so don't worry about that." His tone was lovingly and happy, while Mitchie felt even more miserable at his words.

* * *

_Wedding Planer?_

_She didn't even know that they actually had one!_

* * *

"Well..," she started to came up with, not knowing what she wanted to say in the slightest, when Luke spoke up again.

"I'm really sorry darling, but I need to check in now," he informed her in his deep voice, the love for her more than evident. "I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah later," she repeated in a dull tone, her eyes suddenly locked with Shane's, before Luke presented her with a final "Love you."

"Me too," Mitchie responded in a small voice, her eyes adverting from the dark haired man at this point, before the call finally ended and she let her cell drop beside her.

* * *

"So mommy dearest is still checking up on you," Shane was immediately exclaiming in a mocking voice, fixing her unmoving form with a sly grin and not giving the young woman time to process the call in detail. "Figures."

He lazily took another sip of his Scotch and let the half melted ice cubes clack against the glass.

At this Mitchie finally turned her head towards his smirking figure again, suddenly feeling all the build up tension inside of her reaching a new level.

* * *

_THIS was all his fault!_

* * *

"You!," she abruptly exclaimed in a more than furious way, waving her hands around her in a exaggerating manner, while Shane was taken aback for the moment.

"All this mess is your fault! You with your jerky attitude and your big ego and your stupid wife beater! And what the hell are you thinking to bring up my mother? Isn't it enough that I already had to lie to her? Not to mention my fiancee who is now surely texting this wedding planer, who I haven't even met yet, may I add and…"

She was into a furious rambling mode right now, her hair shaking from the right to the left, while her eyes held a blaze that left said _Rockstar_ in a kind of awe for a moment, right before a single word left him stunned.

* * *

_Completely and utterly stunned._

_At least for a very long moment._

* * *

"Fiancee?," he finally exclaimed in an unsteady tone, having untypical difficulties to control his voice and letting Mitchie abruptly come to a halt in her rambling.

"What?," she now barked at his staring form, pushing a strand of her long hair out of her reddened face, while she fixed him with a hard glare.

"You," he continued in a tone that sounded strange to his own ears, not quite knowing what he actually wanted to say at the moment.

* * *

_Fiancee._

* * *

"I what?," the 22 years old woman repeated in great impatience, her earlier rambling having prevented her from catching up on Shane's actual _exclamation.  
_"Are you just sitting there like a fool or are you actually gonna say something," she added at his still dazed look, finally letting him snap out of his weird state.

"You're engaged," he now barked at her, a mix of sudden fury and frustration clearly visible in his expression.

* * *

_She was engaged for fucks sake!_

* * *

"How the hell did this happen?," he demanded, while it was Mitchies turn to look dumbstrucked for a minute, before realisation finally dawned on her.

* * *

_Oh no.._

But wait, why was it his concern anyway?  
And did he just really demanded a _reason_ for it?

* * *

"What do you mean "_how the hell_"," she finally shot back in a harsh voice, still not believing his nerve to state so.  
"My private life is none of your business Shane!"

"Of course it's my business," he protested in a loud voice, banging his right hand on the table.  
"How dare you to get engaged to another guy when you're still married to _me_!"

He was narrowing his dark eyes at her, while she just gasped audible, again not believing his attitude.

"You should listen to yourself Shane," she yelled.  
"Everything you say is about _you_! _Your_ image, _your_ money, _your_ decision.. it's so unbelievable!"

She got more frustrated with every passing second and had a hard time to keep up her strong side.  
Cause the truth was, on the inside she was still the plain, insecure Michelle Torres who had gotten hurt so badly in the past that she was still bleeding at some point.

"Unbelievable is the fact that _you_ come here and want _my _money for _your_ new life with some _idiot_," Shane finally pointed out in a harsh way, gritting his teeth.

"Luke's not an idiot!," Mitchie immediately snarled, suppressing the urge to lean over the table and slap him bad.  
"And your money you can kiss goodnight, for all I care!"

"Luke," he stated in an ironical way, ignoring her money comment completely.  
"What a great name for a looser." He let out a harsh laugh and tried to ignore his own bitterness that he didn't want to analyse at the moment. "Did you meet him at a corner of a street? Maybe with an empty _Starbucks_ cup and a half broken guitar?"

He was challenging her now but he simply couldn't help himself at the moment.  
All different kind of emotions were running high inside of him and made it impossible to act in a somewhat calm way, not that he had had the intention to do so in the first place.

"You're really a self-righteous jerk, Shane Grey," Mitchie spat back in an icy tone, loathe now evident in her eyes.  
"To think that I can only do worse after _you_ when it's actually you who is not worth the attention. I so don't know  
why I'm still here, seeing that it won't get me anything beside another flash of your true self and pointless insults. "

She abruptly stood up in an angry way and moved to grab the folder from the table, not willing to deal with her useless husband any longer.

* * *

_Or the fact, that Luke was actually a known topic now._

* * *

"Not so fast," Shane instantly pressed forward, tugging the rumbled sheets into his direction again, while Mitchie harshly tried to yank them back. "The deal's still standing in line."

"There's no deal!," she immediately stated in a firm voice, still trying to move the papers out of his grip.  
"I was just crazy to come here in the first place. So leave it be."

The young woman tried to yank at the folder for a last time and finally managed to pull it out of his hands, unfortunately sending the papers flying in different directions.

* * *

_Great!_

* * *

"And prevent you from hearing the wedding bells again?," the lead singer of _Connect 3_ exclaimed nonchalantly, while his _wife_ was already busy picking up the different sheets, not sparing him a second glance.  
"C'mon, I _still_ have a heart."

His tone was actual serious and Mitchie didn't know if she should burst out laughing till her lungs would burn or if she should just tell him to look up the actual meaning of said word.

* * *

_A heart.  
__He surely couldn't even spell it!_

* * *

"You sure you don't mistaken it for your ego knocking?," she finally turned towards him again, her tone sharp. "Because someone who does only care about his face on the next cover of _People _magazine can hardly make out a difference between his heart and a cold lump of stone."

She ignored the feeling that something like hurt flickered behind his eyes and adverted her gaze towards the papers instead, hastily stuffing them back into the brown folder and therefore missing Shane's sudden change of expression.

* * *

_Oh, she didn't know what was coming her way._

* * *

"_People _magazine you said?," he finally stated in a flat tone, fixing her averted form with an undefined gleam in his eyes. "Reminds me of a little interview there tomorrow morning. Something about boring marriage stuff, the return of the _wifey_… press chit chat, you know. Shouldn't take _that_ long."

* * *

He didn't even have time to reach for the last sip of his whiskey before Mitchie's head snapped towards him again, her look a mixture of utter disbelief and fury.

* * *

_No, this couldn't be…_

* * *

"You can't be serious," she exclaimed in a shocked voice, the folder gliding out of her hands again and joining the table with a dull thud.

* * *

_There was no way he would go public with it…_

* * *

"Oh, but I am," Shane reassured her with a knowing look, now dangling his glass in his right hand.  
"You know the press is always lurking around somewhere, following me almost every move, trying to make money with my state of fame.." He gestured in a _"you get the picture"_ way and briefly took the last sip of his drink, before his eyes found Mitchie's still unmoving form again.  
"Consequently, your little trip has made some waves and got us an appointment with some _People_ guy tomorrow at 11 am. Nothing to worry about, I would say."

Almost instantly, the young woman became a shade paler and had a hard time to hold her balance.

"What..What do you mean "we"?," she managed to press forward in an unsteady voice, her look blank and her mind occupied by different kind of thoughts.

* * *

_Luke seeing her face on the cover of a magazine..._

_Luke hearing about her marriage on TV..._

_Her mother reading a headline about Shane Grey and his secret wife.._

* * *

"I'm saying that you tag along with me and take your part in the story about our _wonderful _marriage," Shane plainly announced, smirking lightly. "I'm sure you'll survive it."

He leaned back in a pleased way and silently counted the seconds till his _wife_ would snap out of her daze and fall back into her angry mode.

* * *

One..

Two..

Three...

* * *

"There's no way I'm agreeing to this," her voice finally cut through the silence, letting Shane merely raise a brow at the expected statement, while his eyes took in her hardened expression.

* * *

_Time for the final blow.._

* * *

"Well, and there's certainly no other way to get your precious divorce my dear," he told her with a sickening smile, easily falling back into the _Rockstar_ mode that shielded himself from any unnecessary emotions.

* * *

_Not that the thought of her engaged state was getting to him on a deep level._

* * *

"So you want to blackmail me now?," she gasped wide eyed, slightly shaking her head at his unbelievable attitude, while said lead singer just let out a low chuckle.

"I would call it a compromise," he corrected her without hesitation, casually raising his empty glass towards a random bartender for a refill.

* * *

_Time for another shot._

* * *

"You re completely out of your mind Shane!," Mitchie hissed at him, trying to ignore the strong pang in her heart that went along with a feeling of hurt and despair.

* * *

_Where was a glimpse of the Shane Grey she had used to know once?_

_Why did it all hurt so much?_

* * *

Her mind was on overdrive again and she choose to close her eyes for a moment, hoping for a black nothing that wouldn't present her with bitter feelings.

"I have to think about my image," Shane's voice broke through before she even could take a deep breath.

* * *

_So much for calming down._

* * *

Opening her eyes and meeting his hard look, she instantly clenched her fists again and opened her mouth for a witty comeback, when suddenly the sound of a familiar voice abruptly cut through the atmosphere.

* * *

"I said don't touch me," it now echoed through the VIP area, soon followed by the sight of a squirming Caitlyn Gellar and a pair of bodyguards who obviously had a hard time to control the temper of said woman.  
"I didn't even leave a scratch on his precious Rockstar body," she huffed, glaring over her left shoulder without taking any notice of Mitchie or Shane.

"You almost strangled me to death," no other than Nate Silver snarled in a harsh tone, finally appearing at the side of the way bulkier bodyguard, briefly rubbing his slender neck.

"Well I can still work on it," the blond exclaimed in false sweetness, trying to lunge forward again when the slightly shorter bodyguard stepped into her line again.

"See, she's a completely mad woman," Nate yelled at her furious look, flinching slightly backwards when she let out a threatening growl tried to move past the guy in front of her.

"Ok, what's going on here?," Shane finally wanted to know in an unnerved tone, seeing the bodyguards literally bow in loyalty, while Caitlyn just glared at him.

"She almost killed me, man," his best friend finally spoke up in a strong voice, pointing towards his still slightly red neck.

"You deserved it, after calling my best friend a money-sucking bitch," the blond instantly exclaimed, her voice dripping with fury. "Maybe I should hit your jaw instead next time. Would spare the world all the pointless stuff that's coming out of your mouth for awhile."

* * *

She was literally shooting daggers at Nate now, who simply responded in the same way and muttered indefinable things under his breath, while Mitchie just wanted to get away from everything.

* * *

It was like it would all come crashing down on her every moment, literally bringing her to knees with the realisation that she actually _had_ to follow Shane's rules if she wanted to get her divorce.

* * *

He _was right._

He_ was the one in charge._

* * *

This helpless feeling sent a cold shiver down her spine and she quickly moved towards her best friend, only to almost collide with Shane who was making his way towards Nate.

"I need to go," was all she could mutter, having a hard time to stand his look.

* * *

_I'm not breaking down in front of him._

* * *

"Well, don't forget our compromise," he simply smirked at her, straightening his frame in the process.  
"You'll get the _instructions_ on time."

* * *

The way he said it sickened the young woman in a way she couldn't describe and she just brushed past him to grab Caitlyn's hand before the blond one knew what was happening.

* * *

"We're going," Mitchie plainly stated in a flat voice before tugging her best friend away from the _Connect_ duo and their bodyguards, not giving her the chance to end her glare festival with Nate on a proper level.

Instead of yelling a harsh goodbye over her shoulder the small woman actually remained silent and mustered the auburn haired one with a look of concern, squeezing her cold hand in a comforting manner.

* * *

Right before Shane's deep voice sounded from the background again and let the tall woman parting from her friend almost instantly.

* * *

"See you tomorrow Mrs Torres," was all that echoed in her ears, when Mitchie finally ran from the location and stumbled into the cold winter air, the first tears already staining her pale cheeks.

Just before the embrace of a certain blond woman had her sobbing almost desperately.

* * *

Tears however were the last things on a certain _Rockstar's_ mind at the moment.

All he could think of right now were words and a melody, a melody that was driven by his own bitterness and the overwhelming feeling of power.

"Man, I need a marker," he instantly turned towards Nate, giving him a pointed look.

"What do you need a marker for?," his best friend asked in a confused way, already having a few shots of Whiskey and Gin in front of him.

"I just need one," Shane shot back in an impatient way, having Nate roll his eyes in return.

"Do I look like I would have one?," he simply responded in a flat tone, shaking his curly head slightly.

* * *

_No wonder Shane had a personality problem._

* * *

"But I need something to write, RIGHT NOW!," the taller one growled in a hard tone, impatientlyrunning a hand through his dark hair.

* * *

He had to get it out of his system, before it would burn him from the inside.

* * *

"What do you need it for anyway?," his best mate finally wanted to know, when Shane was grabbing a bunch of napkins. "Wanna make your number a give-away again?"

He was drowning another shot of Gin, while Shane simply ignored him and tried to get the attention of a waiter.

* * *

_Need marker NOW!_

* * *

"You know I could also use some action between the sheets," Nate however added in a thoughtful tone, already imagining another evening of meaningless body contact.

* * *

_Well, there are definitely worse ways to spend your time._

* * *

"Then go on and pick up someone," Shane briefly stated, before he finally snatched a pen from a passing waiter and instantly began to scribble something on a napkin.

The words seemed to flow on their on and he was feeling a rush of excitement that he didn't dare to question at the moment, especially not when his bitter thoughts about a certain female person seemed to be the source of it all.

Nate however just mustered him in a sceptical way and couldn't believe his eyes,not being used to seeing Shane Grey absorbed into anything beside yelling, drinking and fucking.

"Man, do you know something that goes along with _"I just had a good time in the backroom"?",_ Shane suddenly came up with, his eyes still glued to his napkin notes.

"Uhm, I don't...," Nate starter in a slightly confused way, only to be cut off by the dark haired one immediately.

"Got it," he exclaimed with a smirk, obviously more talking to himself than to his band mate.

"You're alright dude?," the younger one now wanted to know, not used to _this _Shane Grey at all.

* * *

At this the lead singer finally raised his eyes towards his best friend again, smirk firmly in place.

* * *

"I'm better than alright," he announced with an undefined gleam in his dark eyes, swirling the pen between his fingers.

* * *

_Yeah, this was definitely better than alright._

* * *

"So what's this all about," Nate pointed at the inscribed items, trying to look over Shane's right shoulder.

"This man," his best mate instantly picked up a few napkins, "is a special _present_ for our label and an even more special_ present _for a _certain_ someone."

He finally put said items in front of his band mate, giving him the _"go on"_ look.

"You never were one for presents, Shane," Nate simply stated in a suspicious manner, eyeing his grinning friend critically for a moment, before finally glancing at the stuff in front of him.

* * *

_What the…_

* * *

"Shane this is a…"

"A song, I know," Shane nonchalantly stated, putting his arms behind his neck in a pleased way.

"But you haven't written a song since the day…," Nate started again, only have realisation dawn on him in an instant. "Damn it's about _her_, isn't it?"

Instead of an answer, Shane simply hummed the melody for his new song, already picturing her reaction in his mind.

* * *

_Oh little Mitchie, you don't know what's coming your way._

* * *

"And you sure you wanna record _this_?," his mate added in a critical tone, the lyrics already on his mind.

"You can bet on it," the lead singer reaffirmed in a strong voice, finally singing the first lines of his new tune.

* * *

_Bitterness can definitely lead to unexpected events…_

* * *

**A/N**: So, what do you think? Lots of stuff in it this time, right? Poor Mitchie, keep going, your time will come :)

Well, well my dears, next chapter will definitely be a burner… *rubs hands excitedly*..  
What do you think will happen at the interview? What about the deal? And what's Shane's song like?  
If someone guesses right, I'll maybe grant a wish concerning a scene.. ;)

Oh, and did you leave a _review_ yet ? ;)

* * *


	5. AN Further Information on the State!

**Hi Dearies!!**

I just wanted to let you know that I have **NOT** forgotten about this story of mine or all of you patient readers in general!!

I'm currently working on the new chapter again (about 9 pages are already done) and I'll make it a double chapter again, cause all of you have been waiting for so long now!!!

I hope you have a little bit more patience with me and have not given up on that story yet!

I'm really sorry that my life was being stressful and restless the past months but I would never abadon a story of mine!

**THANKS FOR EVERYTHING SO FAR AND CROSS YOUR FINGERS THAT I'LL GET THE NEW CHAPPY DONE ASAP!**

Yours Bina :)


	6. The Storm inside of Me

**Author's Note:** Hi there my Dearies! :)

Finally, yes **FINALLY**, I can give you what all of you have waited for so so long (and still so devoted!)!!  
Namely, a brand new chappy!! :)  
I hope you forgive me for taking so long with it, but real life got into the way, plus, I'm such a perfectionist and rewrote  
passages over and over again! On a sidenote, this chappy doesn't include the interview yet!  
That will have it's spotlight in the next chappy.. ;)  
So again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your patience!  
Hope you'll like the outcome *ushers you all to reading now*.. ;)

**Disclaimer:** Still nothing's mine, except my imagination. All rights belong to their rightful owners *and don't we know it*

* * *

_He was pressing his soft lips against her warm neck, mumbling sweet nothings.  
__  
She smiled lightly when his fingers found their way in her long hair, playing with a few strands  
_  
"_I could stay like this forever," he whispered in a smooth voice, shifting his body closer to hers under the warm blanket._

"_Me too," she sighed, feelings his fingers now wandering towards her stomach before they gently met her smooth flesh there._

"_Your hands are cold," came the meek reply, still she pressed her back closer to his chest, __finding comfort in his body heat._

_He just smiled against her left shoulder, leaving a soft kiss there, before his warm lips continued their journey along her neck._

"_And that's distraction," she instantly stated in a small voice, her breath quickening on its own._

"_Well, I don't see anything I'm distracting you from," he whispered right beside her ear now, letting his warm breath caressing her left cheek._

"_Maybe I want to go back to sleep," she finally turned towards him, giving him a knowing look while her hands lazily settled around his shoulders._

_He just brushed his nose against hers and managed a small smile, receiving one in return, right before her full lips gingerly pressed against his own._

_The kiss was slow yet passionate, her fingers gently gliding through his shining hair and her left leg finding its familiar way over his hip._

"_Good morning popstar," she finally let escape in a breathy whisper._

"_Hello Beautiful," he responded in the same way, leaning in to capture her lips in another passionate embrace…  
_

* * *

"Rise and shine sleepy head", the dream bubble abruptly faded to reality, instantly taking the recent warm images to a cold rest and having Mitchie Torres groaning in frustration.

She literally felt the sudden urge to slap herself for such a dream scene, that was by far the first one in the line.

But wasn't it enough that she was already haunted by _him_ in real life _now_?  
Couldn't she just get an actual _rest_ during her rest for once?

The young woman sighed in a tired way and buried her face into her soft pillow again, taking into the somewhat calming scent of ocean breeze scented fabric softener.

"C'mon sleeping beauty, time to get your drive back," the undoubted voice of her best friend however made itself know again, literally having the effect of a buck of cold water that reminded her of the upcoming _event_ on this already hated day.  
"Coffee and Tylenol are already waiting."

* * *

_Oh the sweet taste of reality..

* * *

_

"What time is it," Mitchie finally chose to mumble through her sheets, still trying to block out said reality for a little bit longer. The inevitable would come sooner than later anyway.

* * *

_Preferable much more later.

* * *

_

"Almost 8," Caitlyn informed her in an overly cheery voice, as always trying to fulfil the role of the perfect morning person, even though she also literally felt the weight of the world on her small shoulders.

Of course it was out of question for the vivid blond to quit her best friend duty, especially since they'd already faced the past again, but nevertheless she was _just _a 21 year old girl with limited comforting resources.

And truth be told, the way she had reacted to Mitchie's breakdown and her retelling of the so called Shane Grey episode had been so full of worry and anger that it had made Caitlyn Gellar helpless at some point.

Helpless because she knew that her beloved friend was desperate to make everything right again, to overcome her guilt towards Luke and her family and finally get the inner peace she more than deserved.  
Helpless because she herself could only be the literally rock to lean on and actually had to let Mitchie make the important decisions on her own.

Even when it meant that her friend had to face a pain she had thought long forgotten.

* * *

"Just great," the auburn haired woman finally choose to comment her friend's _"Good Morning" _in a muttering way, immediately slipping further under the covers and pressing her eyes shut again.

* * *

_Day mission the First: Creating a black hole._

_Mission the Second: Get lost in it._

_

* * *

_But no matter how hard Mitchie tried to focus on an imaginary black hole, the image of cold, dark eyes was still invading her thoughts, mocking her in an unnerving way.

_

* * *

Figured.

* * *

  
_And just when she then actually felt the urge to let out a scream, not caring about her current position under the white sheet, her shirt clad body was suddenly exposed to the chilly air.

_

* * *

_

"Eek," the young woman immediately bolted upwards, feeling the coldness crawling upon her skin in an uncomfortable way, while Caitlyn now dangled the comfy blanket in her right hand.  
"It's freezing, Cait!," Mitchie pointed out in a accusing tone, rubbing the exposed skin of her arms and fixing her best friend with a sullen look, her former thoughts forgotten for the moment.

"Says the person who is coping with the cold Canadian weather for years now," the blond stated as a matter of fact, shaking her curly head in a soft way and finally letting the warm cover drop back to the bed.  
"Maybe I should have changed you into a snow suit last night instead, would have given you a warm and comfy feeling for sure this morning,"  
she plainly added in a knowing manner and immediately had her best friend tense up a bit, an embarrassing feeling now clear behind her brown eyes.

"It's awkward enough that you had to get me changed at all," Mitchie muttered under her breath, suppressing the urge to advert her eyes for a moment and bury her face into her large pillow instead.

_

* * *

Wouldn't make it better anyway.

* * *

  
_She had not been herself, that was for sure.

First of all, Michelle Torres would never have dropped to her knees on a cold and dirty pavement in the centre of New York, crying tears of hurt, confusion and desperation.

Secondly, Michelle Torres would never have let herself get consumed by the harsh feeling of anger, almost starting a verbal fight with a bouncer guy, who had dared to mistaken her miserable state for a groupie breakdown.

And moreover, she surely wouldn't have wasted her last bit of energy on some indefinable cocktails at a hotel bar against better judgement, only to pass out the very moment her body had finally hit the bed.

_

* * *

Way to go Torres.

* * *

_  
"Just my luck that you'd barely made it to your third shot, before your 5 minutes of bravery had clashed with your path of self-hatred again,"  
Caitlyn then announced in a casual tone, remembering her best friend's Grey caused switch of emotions and Mitchie's untypical strike for drowning her sorrows in colorful liquid.

But knowing that the auburn haired one was more than a lightweight when it came to alcohol, Cait actually had had to worry more about the taller woman not vomiting into the lift cabin than the drink festival itself.

_

* * *

Yeah, best friend duty could be a hell of a task._

_Especially if you had some Grey mix at your hands._

_

* * *

_"And by the way, I've managed to fish your vibrating cell out of the bin this morning," the blond added with a slight nod towards a silver mobile on Mitchie's nightstand, effectively interrupting her friend's inner memory slideshow and letting the other woman's eyes immediately flicker towards said item with a worried expression.

_

* * *

Right, she had almost forgotten about that..  
Almost..

* * *

_"I thought it wouldn't be the best idea to leave Luke's calls to the room service."

_

* * *

Luke.  
God, him she had forgotten for sure at some point.._

* * *

Instantly Mitchie's eyes snapped towards the other woman again, a look of panic now clear on her flawless face.  
_

* * *

  
How could she have forgotten about her fiancee?  
The person who trusted her without a doubt.  
The man she was supposed to marry in a few weeks.  


* * *

_"Don't worry, Mitchie. I've told him you'd suffered from jet lag and were barely able to make it through dinner, before sleep was calling you,"  
Caitlyn was now presenting her with a slightly steaming cup of coffee, already occupying the free space on the bed and balancing an own morning drink in her free hand.  
"Beside," she added in an informing tone, softly nudging her friend to accept the inviting coffeine boost ,"he seemed to be in a rush anyway.  
Not that I would have had the chance to chat with him longer, seeing how this rude delivery guy didn't seem to know the word patience."She was taking a sip of her coffee now, muttering something indefinable under her breath, while Mitchie almost choked on her own liquid and felt the muscles in her body begin to tense up.

_

* * *

Delivery guy.

* * *

  
_"I mean who delivers things at 6 in the morning anyway," Caitlyn now was in complaining mood, getting more into a monologue than focusing on the still speechless woman beside her. "And the way he's scrunched up his nose and fidgeted with his gloves, like he was itching for some  
"non celebrity disinfect".I was so in the mood to threw that despised envelope right back at him, but I think the way I shut the door in his face did the job too."

She was huffing in an unladylike way, absently fingering the cup in her hands, while Mitchie still proceeded the unwelcome flash of reality.

How had she even dared to forget about that, when he had actually made sure to point it out in a ridiculous text message.

_

* * *

_

_Right after she had stumbled into her hotel room._

_Right before her cell had met the bin.  
_

* * *

"And I don't wanna imagine what stuff he has put in there," it however was Caitlyn's voice that snapped the other woman out of her blurry thoughts again, seconds before a big brown envelope was blocking her view. "But so far it hasn't bitten."

She was rustling with the smooth paper to emphasise her point, while Mitchie just scrunched her brows and gave her a look.

"Wouldn't be surprised if it actual had."

It was more a deep sigh than a firm statement that left so many unspoken emotions at the tip of the slender woman's tongue and silently urged her to finally reach for the brown item.

Of course she could just continue to sit there and contemplate all different sorts of possibilities, twisting and turning said envelope in her small hands, while his dark cloud was penetrating looming over her head, or she could just get over with it and face the inevitable like an adult.

_

* * *

Option A or B – no Joker left

* * *

  
_And with a swift motion of ripping the seal, the latter then was setting the pace.

* * *

_Good girl.

* * *

  
_"Oh looky, it's black – what a conscience," Caitlyn ironical commented at the now present sight of a shiny, black folder, casually crossing her jeans clad legs in front of her. "Let's take a guess if it represents his lack of personality or his lack of brains."

At this Mitchie glanced upwards for a second and contemplated her friend's words.

Personality? Could Shane even remember having one in the past?  
Or more important, did he ever remember how he used to be?  
How sweet and caring and…

"I'd vote for his lack of morals," she finally stated dryly and adverted her eyes, shielding herself from actual good memories of him.

There was no point in getting soft hearted at a time, where his lack of morals were literally burning at her hands, pressing against her cold fingers.  
Fingers that were now careful flipping the folder to have it at the right angle and immediately confronted her with a harsh yellow paper on the front of the smooth surface.

If she was nervous before, so the beating of her heart just increased the very moment her eyes landed on a still well known handwriting.

_

* * *

_Especially with the_ message_ that was clearly displayed._

* * *

_

_"Don't forget what's at stake,"_ her lips synched on their own, leaving her speechless for the moment.

It was like something was twisting inside of her again, like another drop of oil was harshly dropped into a slow calming fire…  
right before a strong rush of anger swept over it and numbed any pain.

Anger that instantly leaded to Mitchie snapping out of her short daze and ripping off said post it in a swift motion.

_

* * *

There went his lack of morals.

* * *

  
_Without further notice of anything else and a grim expression now firm in place, she then began to open the folder, determined to get over with it quickly, only to be greeted with even more yellow little "sidenotes" and instructions that had her shell shocked for another some seconds.

Undoubtedly Mitchie couldn't believe her eyes and had to blink a few times before turning and scanning the following pages in a strong motion, absently shaking her head and muttering something indefinable under her breath.

He **so** had lost his mind!

That weren't "instructions" that more or less went along a somewhat civil line, these were rules for acting like a person that had absolutely nothing in common with Mitchie Torres!

"He so can forget about that!," she finally found her voice again, still flipping pages back and forth and ripping off the yellow post its in the process. "I'm not a dumb charity case that bows grateful at his feet!!"

She was throwing the yellow snippets in different directions now, having some landed right beside her silent observing friend, who just glanced back and forth between a fuming Mitchie and the yellow papers.  
When some of it however actually landed in the blond's lap, her curiousity got the better of her and she slowly began to unfold said snippets.

_"Don't speak up on your own,"_ she finally took into the first note, raising her brows.  
_"Make sure to repeat how grateful you are,"_ her eyes continued on another one.  
_"Show love and affection towards me. Keep holding my hand and emphasise our still strong bond of friendship."_

Hold on… did she read right?  
Or was she suddenly suffering from bad eye sight?

_That was a joke!  
This had to be a joke!_

_

* * *

  
_"There's no way he can be serious", she finally exclaimed in a strong voice, now letting her eyes focus on her still fuming friend again.  
"This is ridicules!"

"Wait till you read the lines from his management," Mitchie shifted her gaze, presenting Cait with a mixture of anger and amusement.

If she would break out in ironical laughter the next minute and then start screaming like a mad woman, she actually wouldn't be surprised.  
Maybe that was the way to become insane or get some serious anger issues at least.

"They want to sell me as a charity case to the press. Showing their uncaring rockstar as the knight in shining armour, who took upon an unfortunate young girl to present her with possibilities she never would have reached on her own!," Mitchie summed it all up in a theatrical way.  
"Especially since my record seems to consists of a dead father, a social low and poor mother who has always struggled to get us through life and a bunch of unfortunate events that, of course, had me gratefully falling into the arms of no other than Mr _"I'm so feeling with you"_ Grey!!  
Can you believe it?"

She was openly furious now and pushed herself off the bed in a powerful way, the black folder gripped tightly in her right hand.

"I'm not a charity case! I'm not a poor, unfortunate soul! And I'm surely not devoting myself in gratefulness to a heartless jerk!!"

The last words had the slim folder flying across the room behind a stack of white towels and a wide eyed Caitlyn flinch for a mere second, right before Mitchie's hands began frantically to dig around in an open suitcase and armed themselves with different pieces of clothing._

* * *

_

"You aren't planning anything stupid now, right?," the younger one finally choose to comment her friend's hasty actions, a worried expression now clear behind her hazel eyes.

Especially since said friend was indefinable cursing under her breath and began to grab all different sorts of toiletries in a harsh way, almost harming herself in the process.  
Of course, Mitchie usually was a very rational person, who didn't let her actions be controlled by her emotions -at least not in the past years-, but this time her best friend wasn't so sure at all.

"I'm just gonna show him how much of a charity case I'm actually are," was all the blond finally got in a curt response, before the angered woman made a straight line for the bathroom and left Caitlyn to stare after her.

_

* * *

Yeah, she definitely wasn't sure about this time!

* * *

_  
Still somewhat motionless, the petite woman on the bed soon listened to sound of running water echoing through the half closed bathroom door, while all possible sorts of friendly advice where left unspoken at the tip of her tongue.

Not that Mitchie would have taken it into consideration anyway, seeing that her mind was lost on the Grey field again.  
Giving her no room for rational thinking.

Sighing, Caitlyn instead chose to free the bed from the little yellow spots and tried to remember the reason, why she had made the inner vow to be supporting at any cost.

Shouldn't she simply grab her friend, put her on the next plane to Canada and have an actual good lawyer deal with the so called _husband_ problem instead?  
And therefore saving Mitchie from the storm that was already messing with her head?

Without a doubt, the nagging thoughts in her mind would have consumed her further, if Mitchie hadn't stumbled back into the room just a moment later, angry fumbling with a pair of knee high boots.

_

* * *

Uhhu, self- confidence shoes.

* * *

  
_Only chosen by Mitchie Torrres when she was pushed over the edge by her own insecurities.  
Always leading to actions that never had ended well in the past._

* * *

_

"Have you seen my hairbrush," said woman then questioned in a edged way, while her eyes frantically scanned the small room and still avoided any contact with her patient friend.

"Why don't you sit down for a minute and have an actual breakfast first," Caitlyn then tried to put a halt to her friend's rushed actions, still hoping to get the chance to talk some sense into her.  
"The bagels are really tasty."

"I'm not hungry," Mitchie just pointed out, without sparing her or the breakfast tray the hint of a glance, her eyes finally finding the searched item.

"At least calm down a bit and take a breath," the blond replied in a calm tone, inwardly wincing at the way the other woman was attacking her long, shiny tresses now. "You're way out of line here."

That words finally managed to have the fidgety woman stop her actions for a moment, her tensed stare dropping slightly and her brown eyes slowly turning towards the bed, her friend was still seated on.

_

* * *

_Insecurity, anger and fear were now mixing with the feeling of guilt in her beautiful brown orbs and inevitably had her taking a deep breath._

* * *

_

It was out of question that her closet friend didn't approve of whatever Mitchie had on her mind about the upcoming event but still the 22 years old couldn't bring herself to back out of it now.  
It was crazy, yes, and she actually didn't have a clue how to act when she came face to face with him again, but something inside her simply had snapped.

Something that couldn't be named at the moment.  
Not even for a Caitlyn Gellar.

Her friends gaze however was encouraging now, waiting, expecting an insight in the taller woman's mind but no words were leaving Mitchie's lips.  
Instead a loud knock suddenly cut through the awkward silence, echoing through the small room like thunder and forcing the petite blond to break her piercing gaze with a frustrated sigh.

* * *

This was so getting her nowhere._

* * *

_  
"I swear, "she promptly started to get off the bed in an unnerved way, her patience not that intact anymore, "If this is another _delivery_,  
I'll so make sure they won't come back a third time!"

And before the still wordless Mitchie even had the chance to blink, the petite blond was already at the door.

* * *

"Are you Miss Torres," a big guy in a black suit instantly questioned at her sight, his eyes shielded by dark glasses and a headset firm in place.

"What for?," the curly haired one bit back in an annoyed tone, her slender hands coming to rest on her hips and presenting said guy with a good view of her green _"Got a Shrek?"_ shirt.

_

* * *

Not that this guy would even blink at a green ork dancing down the hallway.

* * *

_

"I have the order to pick up Miss Torres for an interview with Mr. Shane Grey."

A roboter couldn't even hold a candle at this expressionless response.

"Oh what a shame, that no one here cares for_ Mr Grey's_ orders at all," the blond replied with false sweetness, already moving to shut the door in his face.

_

* * *

Shane Grey could choke on his own orders for all she cared.

* * *

  
_"Hold on Cait," it however cut into the scene before the petite woman could act upon her desire to literally send the still unmoving man to hell.

"What do you mean "hold on"?," the curly haired promptly focused on the other woman, taking into her now nervous fumbling with the last buttons of a long coat, obviously getting ready to leave.

"Don't tell me you actually wanna join robot guy over there and play a bit charade with _Mr Rockstar_?"

Her questioning eyes were boring into Mitchie's brown ones, urging her long time friend to finally proclaim that she would drop all crazies ideas that were obviously clouding her mind.

"You don't understand it Cait," the taller woman just sighed, pushing some strands of her long shiny hair out of her face.  
"I can't back out of it now. I just.. can't."

Her unwavering gaze held something different now, a change the little blond couldn't place at all.

"I don't know what's goin' on in that head of yours but I'm positive it won't end well," Caitlyn replied in a worried tone, all to well remembering her friend's out of character behaviour back in the hotel room. "It will only make you feel more miserable. No deal like that is worth it."

_

* * *

Or better no guy like Shane Grey.

* * *

  
_"I know what I'm doing," Mitchie now somewhat snapped at the petite blond, her anger about the so called instructions and her undoubted own insecurities getting the better of her again.  
It wasn't even an option to think about the outcomes, nor questions her own blurry ideas that were far from making sense at this point.  
"I have to think of Luke."

_

* * *

Literally

* * *

  
_"You can't think straight right now," the other woman immediately exclaimed, inwardly cursing the blindness her friend was spotting at the very moment.

Couldn't she see that this was his intention?  
That he wanted to play her emotions and cut her strings?

"You're like the lamb to the wolf, Mitch," she finally didn't hold back anymore. "Not backing off the challenge that will leave you bleeding in the end."

_

* * *

With no going back.

* * *

  
_"Maybe I've already bled so much I don't care anymore," the other woman just stated without hesitation, her now narrowed eyes abruptly drifting from her friend's form to the motionless driver again, signalling him that she was ready to go.

_

* * *

Not like she had any other choice.

* * *

  
_"Mitchie.."

It now was a heavy sigh, a last silent plea that Caitlyn was throwing her friend's way, hazel eyes resting on Mitchie's tensed form with a softened expression.

"We can still find another way, you don't have to.."

"I have to Cait," the taller one cut her off shortly, her brown eyes locking with the blond's for a final understanding. "I have to."

She was putting on a mask again, a protection shield that blocked Caitlyn out like a well guarded gate with no side entrance.  
It was like everything inside of her usual warm hearted friend way stripped off any emotions for the moment, leaving her to act on a kind of instinct, that wasn't to be questioned.

_

* * *

It was pointless.

* * *

_

So all there was left for the little blond was to manage a half hearted nod and admit a silent defeat, taking a small step backwards.

"Well then.."

"I will call you later, I promise," Mitchie made sure to point out with a final glance, ignoring the slight pang of hurt she felt at her friend's sight,  
before turning away with an almost inaudible sigh._

* * *

_

There was no room for weak moments now, no room for tears of insecurity.

And so she left her best friend since Camp Rock staring after her, as she followed the bulky driver with an uneasy feeling down the hallway.

Wondering if her act of bravery would be worth it all…

_

* * *

_

**A/N:** So Mitchie is on her way now, struggling with a literal rollercoaster of emotions...  
I'm curious how the actual interview will take place then.. you too?.. ;)

Here are some options:  
1. Mitchie will back off the interview the very moment she sees Shane again  
2. Mitchie will play along for the time being  
3. Mitchie will cause a scene  
4. Shane will hook up with the journalist and screw the deal  
5. Luke will literally save the day...

You know it could also be something totally different from the above.. who knows.. ;)  
Maybe you leaving a review will push me in some direction?.. ;)  
Let's give it a try, ok?.. :)


End file.
